


In the heart of a dying star

by myrskytuuli



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: BAMF Doctor, BAMF Loki, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Loki Feels, Loki Needs a Hug, The Doctor needs a hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-12
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-02-08 13:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 81,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1942698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myrskytuuli/pseuds/myrskytuuli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki lets go at the end of the spear. that is not how the story ends, it's how it begins. Crashing into a blue box in the space throws the young Prince to a journey of self discovery, growing and hopefully to become something more. the doctor just wants to make Loki smile again. Loki takes Claras Place as the doctors companion and has good/bad adventures through time and space.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. prologue

Prologue

one starry night, just a blink away, or maybe ages ago, a little boy sat on a windowstill and looked longinly towards the sky. His muscels were still bruised and aching and his ego had taken even greater bruising on the evening.

His muscles had gotten beating in the form of getting completely trashed by a seasoned warrior and his ego got the bruising from being beaten up by a seasoned warrior, in front of the whole court of Asgard, in a ceremony that was supposed to show everyone how good he was at not getting beaten up by seasoned warriors.

So he sat on the windowstill of his dark room and stared at the stars, hoping for something to happen. To someone to come and take him away.

Another figure enterd the room. While this figure was of same size, that was where the similarities ended. This one was as bright as the one on the windowstill was dark.

"Brother?"

"Go away Thor."

"you should be sleeping, not sulking."

"You should be sleeping too, instead of bothering me."

"It was your own fault anyway, I told you not to skip so many fighting practices."

"I don't like them."

"But you have to like them. How will you learn to be a warrior if you dont practice?"

"Maybe I won't be a warrior then."

"Don't be ridiculous. What else would you be?"

"I could be a sorcerer. Then I wouldn't have to do anything else than read."

"Magic's for girls."

"Whatever Thor."

"What are you doing at the windowstill anyway?"

"Looking at the stars."

"Why?"

"Maybe I will see a time lord."

"You don't still believe in those silly stories."

"Mommy says they are real!"

"Mom also says that valkyries are real."

The dark boy just stayed quiet and hoped that his stupid brother would leave him alone.

"They're just stories. Fairytales for babies. That's why you failed the ceremony. You just read your stupid stories instead of practicing important things. Like combat."

The dark boy turned his back for his fair headed brother and the silence spoke for itself.

His brother sighed and left. The little boy on the windowstill blinked back tears. From this day onwards he would start losing his childhood belief on fairytales and time lords.

Luckily the universe would never stop believing in fairytales and time lords and one particular time lord would not stop believing in the boy.


	2. meetings in the void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki crash lands into a box and The Doctor gets a companion thrown on to his lap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my first bublished story in a long, long time. This story will use the season seven from the show as it's setting, only replacing Clara with Loki. I have absolutely nothing against Clara, it was just a natural place to start when I started writing.
> 
> reviews will be greatly appreciated and english is still not my first language, so please forgive any mistakes.

 

Maybe it begun like this

"I could have done it father, for you!"

"Loki. No."

Or maybe it ended like this:

"Amy! NO!"

"Goodbye Doctor."

 

Of course, from the nonlinear point of view, nothing ever ends or begins, so you could say that on one point of the universe, a fallen god let go and fell in to the void and in the other point of the universe a shining, beautiful girl blinked.

These happenings have nothing to do with one another, expect in the most subtle and the most complicated ways.

The thing about Loki is, that when he let go, he wasn't planing anything. Loki's life so far has been nothing but plans, being always one step ahead of others, thinking his steps through.

But in that moment, hanging over the universe, holding on to the scraps of what was left of his life and seeing the last hope being snatched away, Loki didn't plan. Didn't think or deceive. He just let go.

He let go of everything. His family, his future, his life and his hope. Nobody plans for something like that. To Loki it was the end. He let go and fell and in his mind there was no future or hope.

The thing about The Doctor is, that when Amy and Rory were gone, he planed to never take companions again. They said that it wasn't good for him to be alone and they were right, but it wasn't very good for his companions to be with him either. It was surprisingly easy choice. There would never again be another person in the Tardis. He wouldn't take another innocent and naive soul to see the wonders of the universe to only to be broken by that same universe.

It seemed that the universe had different ideas. When The Doctor decided to close the doors of the Tardis from companions forever, the universe decided to throw one on his lap. Literally.

When Loki decided to let go and fall away, into forgetfulness and nothingness, the universe decided to place something on his way.

(or maybe it was the Tardis. She was very insistent on taking a spin into the void in that particular moment.)

 

"Impossible!"

there are few things that The Doctor would consider impossible in this universe, mostly because he has seen almost everything thought to be impossible and most of the time been the one doing the impossible thing, or being that impossible thing.

But a person that was still showing life signals in the void was something that The Doctor would still consider impossible.

Apparently not, if the Tardis wasn't lying, which she never did. (The Doctor at least liked to think so.)

The Doctor might have promised himself to stop interfering, but not interfering and leaving someone who is still alive floating in the empty space, were two very different things.

Quickly opening the doors of the Tardis, The Doctor reached for the shape falling towards his ship.

The person seemed to be of humanoid shape, also of humanoid mass seeing the speed which it was approaching and...

"umph!"

...and on top of him.

Having had the breath knocked out of him and feeling a nasty bang on the back of his head, where it had collided with the metallic floor of the Tardis, The Doctor tried to get some sense of who or what had he just caught.(Or collided with more like.)

Obviously a humanoid shape, quite long, lot of sharp angles, possibly male, was wearing something quite hard and uncomfortable(at least for the one getting collided on) material, maybe armor...

The Doctor's thoughts were halted when the newest acquaintance of the Tardis started to shakily scramble away from on top of him.

Doctor caught sight of a sharp face, locks of black hair and brilliant green eyes.

Seeing those eyes, so lost, so confused, glittering still with unshed tears that could not fall in the non gravity of space, doctor knew that he had just lost a battle with the universe.

"oh dear..."

Their unexpected guest started to rise, but apparently was not in the shape to fully get up, and ended up just sitting on the Tardis floor, holding on to the rail with one hand for support.

The Doctor also rose from the ground to sit up and eyed his unexpected visitor with an critical eye.

Humanoid shape, but did not feel like a human. Not least because it had survived in the void. Male, at least seemed to be. Lanky and tall, probably even taller than The Doctor. Was wearing some kind of an armor and leather coat double.

For a moment the green eyes kept zigzagging across the console room, trying to take everything in, mouth slightly agape from shock. Then the face sealed off and all the flickering curiosity disappeared from the green eyes.

Not good. Very not good! nobody should look that apathetic while seeing the Tardis for the first time. It was slightly insulting and very much worrying.

"Okay then! Mysterious man from the space, who I just picked from the void. No need to thank me, I just saved you from the vast emptiness of the universe. No big deal really. Anyway, I'm The Doctor and who might you be and more importantly what were you doing in space!"

The man lazily focused his gaze on The Doctor and then let his eyes slip out again. It seemed that he had trouble focusing on anything and Doctor wasn't even sure he had heard the question. At least he showed no signs of hearing anything that the doctor had just said.

Quickly Doctor got up and walked towards this mystery man. Doctor gently placed his fingers on the mans cheek.

Feeling the touch, the man visibly flinched and sucked in quick breath. Erratic green eyes finally focused on Doctors face.

"you can't be real." he whispered and then his eyes started wandering again.

Gently taking the stranger's face in his hands the Doctor turned the green eyes to meet him again.

"No, no listen. I'm very real, all of this is very real. You are in the Tardis now, you are safe. You are not hallucinating, or going mad or... whatever you think is happening right now. . ."

"impossible." The voice was still weak, but the eyes seemed to be more focused now.

Doctor felt the grin bloom on his face seeing those eyes start to come back alive.

"I know. Isn't it wonderful. I love impossible things!"

There was now light frown between those dark eyebrows. "But, I... I'm going mad...there's no other ex-"

"oy! Focus. You are not going mad, you really are here. Now focus." For reassurance, the doctor pinched the strangers arm and got a fast yelp in exchange.

"ah!"

"see! Definitely real. Now, tell me your name."

"Who are you?!"

"hey! I asked first, but well, I'm The Doctor. As I already once said. Now the question was: who are you?"

The green eyes blinked once, before the answer came. "Loki. Loki... Just Loki."

"well then Loki. Nice to meet you. Now I have to ask, what were you doing in the void?"

"I..I fell."

Now Loki's eyes had started to fidget again. And he was attempting to raise on his feet.

"Where am I?! And WHO are you?! How-?! Why-!? The voice was starting to get an panicky edge to it and while Loki bravely tried to get himself on a standing position, using the rail as a help, It was obvious that his body was not yet up to it.

"Wait! Loki! Now just calm down. I'm the doctor, you are in the Tardis, which is my spaceship, and I can help you. Just... sit back down. Take it easy."

Loki did not listen, he yanked himself upright, hands and legs trembling and attempted to take a step ahead.

Wrong move as he instantly collapsed down and the doctor had to scramble to catch him before he hit the floor.

"Loki! Loki! Now what did I just say. Why can't anyone ever listen! Now Loki are you oka...Oh you're unconscious."

...

"Why does these things always happen to me?!"

The Tardis just hummed little louder.

"Yes, you are probably right, but still!"

 

Loki slept long enough for the Doctor to see three collapsing stars, five supernovas and two collapses of great civilizations. Or you could say that he slept an one Coroxxaxian month. Or one earth day. Inside the Tardis you could choose what kind of time system you wanted to count with and you were probably still wrong in your counting. all time inside the Tardis is relative time.

When Loki finally woke up, the Doctor was in the kitchen, pouring himself tea. It was regrettable that in universal scale, tea was quite hard to come by. Especially in planets were the natives didn't even posses mouths.

The Doctor was just pouring himself a cuppa when the door to the kitchen banged open and Loki stormed in.

Dark hair in disarray, eyes wide, mouth half open and breath panting, Loki looked like the textbook example of disarray. He was wearing the same light clothes that he had had beneath the armor. Doctor had taken the armor of before dragging the tall man to bed. There was no way that the doctor would have dragged his heavy patient anywhere with the armor also weighting in.

"Hellou! I see that you are already up, would you like some tea?"

Loki turned his eyes to the doctor and blinked several times.

"It wasn't a dream."

"No I'm afraid not. And I suggest that you sit down now. You are starting to look alarmingly pale, also your breathing is becoming very frantic again, seriously come on and sit and take some tea. Helps you calm down. Also, we need to talk."

 

"So...you are a time lord."

"living, breathing, both hearts beating."

"And we are in your ship that can travel both through space and time?"

"That's her. The good old girl."

"and I believed it to be a fairy-tale," Loki snorted into his teacup, like a man who had given up all hope of the world making any kind of sense.

"What?"

"You. Time lords. Gallifrey. We have books about Gallifrey, but they are believed to be nothing more than fairy-tales told to children. They are bed time stories only made to entertain. The time lords flying through time and space, always watching, but never seen. Old wives tales. Maybe I am still dreaming."

"Don't worry, I make a good imaginary friend. Excellent imaginary friend. You could almost say that I'm an professional imaginary friend. Expect that you are not imagining me obviously. You are quite awake... But enough about me, Where exactly are you from, that they tell fairy-tales about us?"

"Asgard. I'm from Asgard."

"Asgard! Of course! Stupid Doctor, it should have been obvious. You are a though lot you aesir, aren't you. Well even I wouldn't have guessed that you would be though enough to survive in the void, but better this way eh! Asgard, lovely planet, mind you it has been a long time since I last visited Asgard. Very long. Part of the nine realms isn't it? Such an interesting phenomenon, nine different planets, from nine different galaxies connected by an intergalactic dark matter rippling ion from the q-space, or a spacey-wacey road like I like to call it. I think you use the word bifrost."

Loki just nodded. It was clear that half of the babble had flied straight over his head.

"So what happened? How did an aesir end up in the void?"

"I...fell."

"very enlightening. Would you like to maybe add little bit more details to your story"

…

"No"

"Okay then. Where should I drop you off?"

there was a slight flash of panic in those green eyes before they hardened fast.

"I meant in Asgard of course. What place and more importantly what time?"

"No!" Now the voice did have an edge of panicky in it.

"I mean... It would not be wise for me to return to Asgard."

"Really. And why would that be?"'

Loki had not yet noticed it himself, but his hands were slightly shaking. The Doctor had noticed.

The Doctor had noticed many things about Loki in their little chat. Like that Loki was more tired than he let on, and not entirely in the physical sense. He was also more scared than he let on. And not once had he shown any desire to return back home. Usually that would be on the top list after unwanted dive onto the void. But no. Loki spoke about Asgard and its fairy-tales with an nostalgia of someone who has already lost his home. It was uncomfortably familiar tone to the Doctor.

Loki had turned his head away from the Doctor and was staring intensely to the distance. He was blinking rabidly, obviously trying to keep his eyes dry.

Reaching across the small table the doctor gathered Loki's hands from around the empty tea cup and took them on his owns.

"Loki, Why did you fall?"

Loki turned his gaze back to the doctor. His voice was solemn but steady. "Because I let go."

"And why did you let go?"

"I had no more reason to hold on."

That was when Doctor lost. There were no more promises of indifference or plans of solitary. There was Loki and right now Loki needed a Doctor.

Raising from his place The Doctor stepped around the table to Loki. Loki rose up from his chair, clearly confused, and grew even more confused when The Doctor wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

"What..."

"Shhs. I'm your bedtime story and do you know what bedtime stories are supposed to do?"

"No."

"They comfort."

...

"Have you ever seen the birth of a world?"

 

The Doctor has seen the forming of planets so many times that he's lost count. Loki hasn't. He's standing there, next to the grinning Doctor, mouth hanging open and just looking. Looking at the swirling colorful gasses and dust clouds and floating rocks swirling around. Seemingly randomly, but slowly drawing nearer towards one another. One of the most inspiring and breath taking scenes in the universe.

"What is it?"

To his joy, the Doctor noted that the underlying fear and despair had finally disappeared from Loki's voice. It was now filled with the proper wonder and awe of witnessing the creation of a whole new world.

"This my friend, is Asgard. 7,8 billion years before your birth. No solar system, just matter floating in space, slowly forming and taking shape and eventually forming into Asgard."

"It's beautiful."

Loki was smiling. When he smiled he looked very much younger. Like any other companion facing the wonders of the universe for the first time. Curious, happy, awed. It suited Loki much better than the scared and lost look of the before.

Loki was slowly stretching his arm into the space, almost reaching the meteorite floating by them.

"Come on then." The Doctor pushed Loki out of the Tardis door.

Even without seeing Loki's face, the Doctor could feel the flash of horror from Loki for being dropped into the space. The Doctor fastly grabbed a tight grip on Loki's wrist, silently reminding himself to be a bit more sensitive in the future.

"It's okay. I won't let you fall."

Loki twisted his head to look at the Doctor and looked like he would argue, but then he just gripped the Doctor's wrist with his own fingers and turned to touch the still gently floating stone.

"Now you are the first asgardian to ever touch the ground of Asgard."

Loki tensed for a millisecond there and the Doctor cataloged it away in his mind as a thing that needed to be looked into, but not now.

"It is so huge. I thought that it was huge before, when looking up at the night sky, but it so much bigger. The starry sky was just a small part of it all and now... and now it is all around me. So much vaster." Then more silently Loki added clearly to only himself; "I would have fallen forever."

"That's the universe all right. And even still, it is so much bigger and better and more wonderful than you could ever imagine. But do you know the best part? The best part is that we can go anywhere and anytime in it that we want."


	3. rings of akhaten part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we arrive at akhaten and Loki gets a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Gods I'm so sorry about the wait. When I started publishing this story, I honestly thought that I would update maybe weekly or so, but then depression and other great things hit me in the face and I'm sorry. so sorry. Hopefully the chapter at least won't suck, seeing that you had to wait for it for so long.
> 
> please review, I seriously want to hear every single opinion that there is about this story.

"So how does all of this work then? No sorcerer has ever succeeded in time travel. Once I read a theory about stopping time, but nobody has ever succeeded in that either, not even the vanir. And theoretically all time based magic runs into the problem of the magical energy not being able to flow in the frozen moment. Of course the great Skid had once proposed that by using the magic anchored in the ancient power ritual places and catalyzing the magical echo with the movements of the stars..."

"Yeah, it doesn't work like that, definitely not like that."

"But how..."

"Not by psion energy, that's for sure. Or you know, magic. Don't think about it too much, I could explain, but you wouldn't understand it anyways. just think of it as wibbly wobbly timey wimey. Now where do you wanna go?"

the Doctor let his hands hover over the control board and grinned at Loki, wiggling his fingers.

"So we can go anywhere in time and space?"

"yes. Now where do you want to go? The past? The future? New planet? Galaxy? End? Beginning?

The Doctor talked fast and looked at his newest companion excitedly.

"I...I...I don't know." Loki found himself saying. It was true. There was a time lord standing in front of him, offering to take him anywhere and any time in the universe. How did you make such a decision? How did you even know what to ask? "Do you know the feeling when someone asks you to preform a spell, any spell at all, and suddenly you forget all the spells you've ever known."

"No, I can't say that I do."

"Because that's exactly how I am feeling right now."

"You are overthinking this. Relax! We are supposed to be having fun! Just think about something you have always wanted to see."

Loki had many places he had always wished to see in the nine realms, but things had changed. While he had many times wished to see the history of his home, even the word home made his stomach crawl. Loki had a feeling that none of the sights he had once dreamed of, would right now bring him any joy.

"Take me somewhere far away. Somewhere that I can't even imagine right now."

"Oh I love your spirit!" the Doctor grinned and pulled the lever.

The Tardis shook and wobbled with the familiar worping sound. Loki gripped the safety rail to keep his balance and tried to soothe his nerves. This was going to be a good thing. The Doctor was a time lord and he was on an adventure like the ones that he had always read about as a child. This time everything would not end up like... Like everything else in Loki's life.

The Doctor had his hand on the Tardis door. Loki was standing next to him, all his nerves prickling. This was going to be a good thing, Loki repeated in his mind.

"Are you ready?" The Doctor was grinning from ear to ear, almost jumping up and down.

"Yes" Loki answered keeping all his feelings out of his voice. The Doctor seemed a bit disappointed by Loki's flat voice, but only showed it for a second, before his smile turned back on.

"Good!" The Doctor pushed the door open and rushed out. Loki followed a bit more cautiously. When he had stepped out, Loki let his eyes devour the new scenery before him.

They had stepped out into a bare rocky ground, that turned out to be a relatively small meteor, floating around a great orange glowing planet, no a star. The star was circled by millions and again millions of other meteors, both great and small. The meteors created rings around the alien sun, that interestingly was not too bright to look straightly at.

Nearer the sun, than what they had landed, was a great rock littered with little lights. There was some kind of settlement in there then. Loki wondered if Asgard looked a bit like that too, seen from enough of a distance.

"Welcome to the rings of Akhaten." The Doctor gestured with his hands.

"Where are we?

"Somewhere far away, that you could have never imagined."

"Who live down there?" Loki asked pointing at the great rock, where you could faintly see the outlines of cities and faint glittering lights.

"You'll see soon, but first look up there- no there. Yes that rock! Follow it with your eyes, good. Three, Two, one..."

The meteor the Doctor was pointing at was relatively small, floating along others, but on top of it there was a triangular shape of a build pyramid. When The Doctor reached the end of his count down, the top of the pyramid started to shine bright golden light, reflecting the orange glow of the star.

It was absolutely beautiful.

"What is it?" Loki asked, feeling the knot in his stomach to loosen up. Here he was, seeing something so beautiful that no asgardian had ever seen before. The best thing was that he had no obligations, no other worries than to enjoy the moment. When had been the last time he had been able to just do that.

"The pyramid of the rings of Akhatean. Its a holy sight for the sun singers of the Kept. They gather from all over the seven worlds to see the alignment."

"The who of what?"

"Seven planets, well not all of them are actually classified as planets, but whatever, orbiting the same star, all sharing the belief that all of the life in the universe originated in here. From this star."

"Well they're wrong." Loki laughed a little before letting his eyebrows knit together. "Or are they?"

"Well, that's what they believe."

"Yes but-" The Doctor just put a finger on his lips to silence him. "not why we are here." The Doctor winked. Loki found himself rolling his eyes and surprised even himself when he realized that he was smiling.

Loki had not felt this light in years. It was like being a child again and discovering magic and spells for the first time. Expect that this time there was nobody here to judge him for feeling joy and passion for the wrong art. This was pure excitement and The Doctor was not judging him, instead he was sharing the feeling with Loki. It felt nice. Unbelievably nice. He was getting drunk on the feeling.

"Can we see it up close?" Loki pointed at the settlement down below them.

The Doctor just smiled and offered his hand. Loki surprised even himself by how readily he took up the offered hand. He was definitely losing his senses over this bubbly excitement in his stomach. Still he returned the Doctors smile before they dashed back to the Tardis.

The worping could be barely heard over the hassle going on in the market and everyone was too busy to pay notice to the blue box materializing in the silent shadowy corner of the marketplace.

When Loki jumped out, he was instantly punched in the face by all the noises and smells and sensations of the alien environment surrounding him.

It was almost like a market place in back hom...Asgard, expect that it wasn't. There were no aesir, instead there were creatures all kinds of sizes, colours and shapes. All shuffling in the crowd, doing business, going on with their lives. There were vendors, selling things that Loki couldn't even start to imagine what they were for. The familiar market place noise was there, but different than what Loki was used to. It was at the same time so achingly familiar and so alien, new, different. Loki loved it and he found himself laughing aloud.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"Yes! What are they! I never even imagined there being so many different races beyond the nine realms!"

"oh Loki! Even I haven't met all of the creatures in the universe and believe me, I've met a lot."

"But you do know these ones?"

"These are all from the local systems. Lets see..."

then the Doctor fired of bunch of names, that Loki had no hope remembering, while pointing at the creatures in question.

It seemed to be true what the Doctor said about knowing many creatures in the universe, for he seemed to recognise all of them and while walking the narrow streets, even greeted some of them personally.

"You speak all-tongue too?" Loki asked while noticing that none of the creatures had any problems at understanding what The Doctor was saying to them. Loki guessed that it was something to be expected from a fabled time lord, but still the teachings of how Asgard was the only realm in the universe to hold the secrets to the golden apples that gifted you among other things the gift of all-tongue, were firmly playing in Loki's head.

"Oh yes, of course, the Tardis doesn't need to translate to you as you already have the translating cortex in your head. And to answer your question yes, all thought technically I think it were the time lords that gave you asgardians the ability of the all-tongue, so technically you have been using the Tardis translation circuit your entire life."

"The time lords have gifted the aesir?" Loki asked disbelievingly.

"It was a long, long, long time ago."

Loki wondered what a time lord would consider a long time, but decided against asking. He was still trying to find his limits with the time lord.

They were making their way through the crowd, weaving in the pulsing masses of aliens packed on to the narrow paths between the stalls.

"I like it in here, should come more often." The Doctor spotted something in the distance and started to drag Loki with him towards one of the stalls a bit more on the side.

"look! They're giving out samples!"

No sooner than Loki could blink, was something pressed into his hands by the smiling Doctor.

"Local food! Always the best!"

The thing on Loki's hand turned out to be a slightly glowing blue...fruit he guessed. Loki sniffed it.

"Don't worry. It is entirely safe for both of our digestions! Look!" The Doctor then took a bite out of his own fruit, munching on it happily.

Loki took a very small bite out of his own. The fruit had a sharp taste to it. Kind of chilly, but the aftertaste turned out to be very sweet. Loki took another bite, this time a bit bigger. He found himself liking the weird taste.

"So is everyone here for the alignment?" Loki asked between bites.

the Doctor smiled at Loki. "For the festival of offerings, yes. It takes place when the rings are all in alignment, quite a big thing locally, a bit like the pancake Tuesday."

the what? Loki was starting to get used to the fact that half of the time he had no idea what The Doctor was talking about.

"care for a moped!?"

Loki was startled out of his thoughts by the voice yelling next to his ear. Turning around he could see some kind of an creature, bald, grey, quite flat faced, wearing an armor and shackles like a hardcore fashion statement.

"um Doctor. Who is he and whats an moped?" Loki whispered to his travel guides ear.

"Oh! This is Doreen. Loki, Doreen, Doreen, Loki Not he a she. And the moped is the thing she is trying to rent you. See over there. They have something a little bit similar on earth. You don't have motor powered engines in Asgard? No, I think you were still using the horses. And those flying boats. Isn't it funny, one of the oldest civilizations and still using horses. Well nothing wrong with horses but..."

"Doctor. Rambling."

"yeah, sorry, I do that sometimes. Sorry Doreen, just looking around, come on Loki."

They were again skipping between the stalls and examining all the different knick knacks on sight.

Loki saw some aliens do purchases but no gold seemed to be involved anywhere.

"What do they use as a currency? Nobody seems to have any coins with them."

"Yes they do not use money or gold. All the purchases are done with something valuable. For the customer. Sentimentally valuable. Old photograph, love letter, family heirloom. Something like that. Objects physically imprinted with their history. The more emotionally important, the more valuable the object is."

"How...unusual. Seems very unpractical. All-thought I do understand the idea, many magical spells need that kind of power too. But isn't it dangerous. Using that kind of thing as a currency. What if you get too enthralled by all that historical energy. It can happen to sorcerers sometimes."

"Yes, because no one in history has ever gotten too enthralled by gold or money."

"Point taken."

Loki's eyes caught sight of an some sort of an ritual. A Group of people were sitting in a silent nook covered in carpets and holding hands. They were humming something and Loki could almost taste the magic that was gathering in their locked hands. But the magic felt so different and alien than the one he was used to. Loki was tempted to walk over and ask to join them.

Taking the more cautious road, Loki let his eyes slip shut and felt the magic within him reach the edges of the alien power. The experience was much like tasting the alien fruit again. New, strange, but not unpleasant.

Opening his eyes again, Loki turned where he assumed the Doctor to be. He wasn't there.

"Doctor!?"

Nothing. Zipping between the paths, Loki tried to find his lost guide. He wasn't panicking he told himself sternly. He wasn't being abandoned in an alien world.

Loki's thoughts were cut off when a red running blur Collided with him. "Whoa!" Loki breathed out, steadying himself and the blur he had collided with.

The blur turned out to be a young girl wearing a red cape. She looked almost like an aesir child, expect that she had some kind of markings on her face. They could have been scars, or then natural for the children of this world. Loki had no way of knowing.

Big brown eyes looked up to him, big and scared. With golden hair flying, she skipped past Loki and continued running.

Then the next second, two men, wearing also red capes and having the same kind of markings on their face, appeared behind the same corner that the girl had arrived.

"Have you seen the Queen?" the other questioned in a grave voice while marching towards Loki.

"Who?" Loki asked with his patented innocent voice. Tilting his head to the side for the effect.

The two chasers looked over Loki like he wasn't worth their time and then towards one another. Nodding to each other they too skipped past Loki and continued their march.

Loki looked their way with raised eyebrow and smirked a little. There was sweet satisfaction in knowledge that both of the men had just walked past some useful knowledge with a sneer.

Loki shook his head and started once again to think of ways to track the time lord.

Loki drew a breath and decided that he had to stay calm. There was no use running around like a headless chicken. Loki stepped to stand next to the stone wall, so he wouldn't be on anyone's way. Then he once again slipped his eyes shut and let his magic to do the seeing for him.

Magic as a sixth sense is not comparable to any of the other senses. To His magic, the other magic users in the vicinity were like bright spots, shining in the world of energies. Loki tried to concentrate on feeling the life around him. Of course everything was unfamiliar and alien, but Loki tried to find something familiar. The complicated energy flow of the time lord should be recognisable to him, if he were to just find him.

Loki did not sense the Doctor before he was distracted by something else.

A small flickering sensation that he had collided with before, and that for some reason had left an impact even to his magic. The girl. She was scared.

Loki snapped his eyes open again. The girl had not felt like a witch. In fact the energy that Loki's magic felt when touching the child had not felt any magic in the girl. Still, there had been something, some kind of power in there that Loki's senses had picked up on.

Most of all, Loki had sensed her fear.

Loki shut his eyes once again, this time concentrating on only finding the curious non-power of the child.

The trail led Loki to one of the dark and damp back alleys. Then through a small hole in the wall into a even darker room. When loki's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see piles of abandoned junk and twisted metal filling the room. Loki didn't care about that, what he did care was the faint breathing that Loki could hear in the darkness.

The girl was crouching behind one of the big boxes and was obviously scared.

Seeing Loki The girl looked ready to bolt again.

"Hey, wait. I'm not going to hurt you." Loki tried to sound soothing and non threatening. To Loki's own ears his voice sounded false and slippery and Loki doubted that the girl could ever be comforted by such voice. To Loki's surprise the girl however halted her run and turned to face Loki.

The girl cautiously stepped back and accidentally felled one of the metal pipes behind her. She let out a little scream and now bolted towards Loki. Loki put a steadying hand on her shoulder before she would stumble on the floor.

They both looked at each other and then the girl smiled hesitantly. Loki smiled back and soon they both shared a little laugh.

"Are you all right?"

The girl nodded

"What are you doing here?"

"Hiding" she answered.

"Oh, why?"

Now the girl looked at Loki with questioning eyes. "You don't know me?" she said with voice that implied that it should be impossible to not to know her.

"No, I don't. Sorry."

"So why did you follow me?"

"I don't know. Curiosity I guess. Or maybe I thought that I could help."

"I don't believe you."

The girl started backing away, doubt clear in her eyes.

"Now, I have no idea who you should be or who you might be. I just saw a little girl running away from two large men and got curious. I also have no idea who those two men were, but between you and me, I think I like you much more than those rude and stupid men chasing you."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Can you help me to hide?"

"little one, there is nobody better at hiding than me."

Loki had had his whole life to practice the "I'm innocent, definitely not on my way to break some rules, oh look again now I'm gone walk". These weren't the halls of Asgard, but that didn't slow Loki down, he had always been good at adapting. It didn't take long for Loki to get his new charge to the Tardis, that was still parked in the corner.

Expect that the doors were not even budging.

"oh come on. Don't you trust me without the doctor."

….

"okay, I wouldn't probably either. Come on, behind then." Loki ushered his new charge into the small hiding space left between the wall and the Tardis.

"So little girl. What's happening."

"my name is Merry."

"So Merry, what's happening?"

"I'm scared."

"Of what. Is someone trying to hurt you?"

The idea that someone was trying to hurt this little child did not sit well with Loki. Not many would believe it, but he actually liked children. They were mischievous and curious by nature. They also were less set on their prejudges and norms than adults tended to be.

"No. I'm just scared of getting it wrong."

That didn't explain as much as he had hoped for.

"can you explain like I was a visitor from another world entirely."

The girl huffed, but started still talking.

"I'm Merry Galel."

"Another world, remember."

"The queen of years."

"Very far off world."

"I was chosen when I was a baby. When the last queen of years died."

"Okay."

"I'm the vessel of our history. I know every chronicle, every poem, every legend, every song."

"All of them? Dear Valhalla, and my tutors used to say that I read too much."

"Now I have to sing a song in front of everyone. A special song. A song to our god. I'm really scared."

And the girl was. Loki could tell, she was terrified. Loki recognized the signs. He had once been the same.

"You know what Merry. I really am from another far away world. And in that world I used to be a prince."

"Merry looked at him first with doubt in her eyes, but then she nodded. It was the power of childhood belief. The same belief that had made Loki belief in time lords and now made Merry believe in princes from another worlds.

"When I was little, like you are now, I had to prove my skills in front of the whole kingdom. I was given a sword and then I had to go to the arena all alone and everybody was watching and I was scared to death. If I failed I would bring shame to my whole family and I was so sure that if I failed then I would have no more future and my family would abandon me.

Then my mother pulled me aside and told me that I had no reason to be scared. I would always be their little boy and nothing could ever break that. She told me that both she and father were sure that I would champion in the fight."

"What happened?"

"My world ended. I lost. There was me, with too heavy sword and then there was one of the old soldiers and he took me down with just few blows. One of them hit me in the head and I fainted there, in front of the whole kingdom."

The girl looked horrified, she was fully enthralled by the tale and gasped at Loki's misfortune.

"But then I woke up in the sick room and mother was there, holding my hand. She told me that she was so proud of me for being brave enough to face a opponent I knew I couldn't win."

"What about your father?"

"He...wasn't so proud. But the point is that My world didn't end then. She said that it was a proof that no matter what, I would always be her brave little boy and that she would always be there for me to remind me of that."

"Did you ever get scared again."

"Oh yes. All the time. But not ever of mother abandoning me."

Loki's eyes grew glassy as he gazed the dirty stone wall in front of him. His mind however saw Asgard again. The grand halls, mothers soft eyes. It was true, after that he had never been afraid of his mother abandoning him, but it hadn't mattered. He had failed them all, this time even mother. He doubted that even Frigga would love him anymore. If she had ever loved him in the first place. It might be better that he never found out, as he was too afraid of the answer.

Thor had of course championed with ease back then, Like he always championed easy, no matter at what.

Needing to chase the thoughts away, Loki turned again to his new little royal friend.

"About your song. What exactly are you scared of about it?"

"Getting it wrong. And making grandfather angry."

Loki couldn't help it. He felt for the girl, more than he would admit on being comfortable around.

"You know what Merry. I don't think you will get it wrong. You know why? Because when I was little, I used to skip all my fighting lessons. I would hide from my masters and didn't learn a thing. Then when I was supposed to show my skills, I had no skills to show. What about you Merry, have you skipped your lessons?"

"No" Merry shook her head.

"And have you studied those songs as hard as you can?"

"Yes." a nod now

"Well, then. There is no reason why you would get it wrong. I think, that you Merry Galel are going to get it very right."

Loki did not expect to have a lapfull of hugging little Queen latched on him, but suddenly he did. After getting over the shock, Loki awkwardly placed his arms around the little girl. It was stupid but he could feel his throat tightening because of little Merry who was so gladly pressed against him.

Merry was still holding his hand when they walked back into the bustling marketplace. Soon they both spotted the two red caped men, clearly interrogating some poor vendor. When they noticed Merry with Loki, they both froze. Loki couldn't help the smirk on his face when he gestured for Merry to walk forward.

Soon getting over their shock, the men strode to Merry and placed an beautiful white flower necklace over her head. Merry glanced once over her shoulder and waved to Loki while she was led away by her chaperons. Loki waved back.

"Who are you waving to?"

Loki jumped around to see the Doctor standing behind him.

"Where were you!?" Loki accused at his wayward guide.

"Where were you!? I was worried sick when I found that you hadn't followed me. Have you heard the urban legend of the traveler who gets lost in the marketplace?"

"Please don't enlighten me." Loki rolled his eyes.

"Fine fine. C'mon then. If you could please follow me this time, the main show is about to start."

Both time lord and the Asgardian started making their way through the crowd to see even more of this exiting alien world.


	4. rings of akhaten part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ceremonies always suck and an rescue mission starts

Loki found himself to be led to an huge amphitheater on the edge of the city. Literally on the edge. The stage was surrounded on the other side by the stands for spectators and on the other side the floor dropped down to the space. Loki hoped that this was not used as an fighting arena, for he could imagine much too easily the many ways that that could go wrong without edges.

The Doctor led Loki to sit down on the few empty places still left on the stands.

"So where were you anyway?"

"shs"

"Where are we now?"

"shhhs"

Loki rolled his eyes. He had the most unhelpful guide in the whole universe.

Loki however forgot all about his annoyance, when he saw who had come to stand on the stage. It was Merry, glad in her red cape and white flowers. She spotted Loki in the crowd and smiled nervously. Loki tried smiling encouragingly back. He wasn't sure if he succeeded, as he had never had to encourage anyone before.

At least Merry hadn't been discouraged, as she calmly stepped on the pedestal and turned to face the glowing sun. She started to sing in her high but pure voice.

Loki felt himself smiling again. Merry had beautiful voice, the idea that the audience wouldn't love her was ridiculous.

Funny, this was more real smiling in one day, than he had done in years in Asgard.

"They're singing to the mummy inside the temple. Old god they call it. Sometimes grandfather." The Doctor whispered to Loki, apparently deciding to start acting as an tour guide again.

"God? What kind of an god?"

"Well, obviously an old one. I know what you are thinking. You are thinking of the humans who used to think your kind as gods. Now don't think of them."

"I wasn't."

"yes you were, it's not very nice, making everybody think that you are a god."

"I didn't do anything. I wasn't even there."

The Doctor still looked like he had something to say, so Loki quickly changed the subject.

"What are they singing?"

"The long song. The lullaby without an end. To feed the old god, keep him asleep. It's been going on for thousands of years, generation after generation continuing the tradition."

Merry's voice rose a little and as one, the crowd all raised one hand in the air, palm up.

"What are they doing?"

"They are making offerings."

Now that he looked, Loki could see that each palm was holding up some kind of an object.

"mementos to feed the old god."

as one the objects in their hands started to glow and dissolve into a soft golden light. Loki could feel the magic dancing in the air. Whatever or whoever the old god was, the offering ceremony was magical.

When the objects had dissolved completely, the crowd joined the song. Everyone swayed slightly to the rhythm and the Doctor attempted to sing with them, even if he did not know the words.

Loki was hit with the feeling that this was the first time that he was actually enjoying a ceremony of any kind.

It was probably because this time he was on the crowd, rather than facing it and this time nobody expected anything of him. He was here just to enjoy. Did the crowds in Asgard too feel like this, when attending the fancy ceremonies that he had personally always dreaded.

Loki was violently ripped from his content feelings, when the crowd suddenly started to buzz around him. Merry had stopped singing.

It was clear that this was not supposed to happen as the silence was eerie and broken only by the very confused audience members whispering to each other.

Merry turned around and the panic was clear in her eyes. Loki didn't know why she had stopped singing, but judging from the actual pain showing on her face, he doubted it was because she had forgotten the words. For one second her brown eyes locked with Loki's green ones. A second before her small form was circled by an orange light that started to lift her up in the air.

Now the girl was flailing her arms inside the light and screaming. Loki reacted instinctively. He might have been a monster, but even a frost giant runt couldn't just watch as a little child was in danger. Pushing his way up to the arena Loki crossed the sand and reached for the girl. He had promised her that she would be safe. This was one moment in his life that he desperately wished that his words wouldn't turn into lies.

Loki was too late. The light snatched the girl beyond his reach and sped her away into the open darkness. Loki's feet halted on the edge of the sand. Just before the drop. Merry had already disappeared.

The Doctor had come behind Loki and grabbed his arm, probably to make sure that he wouldn't do anything stupid like jump into the void or anything.

The Doctor gripped Loki's arm firmly and started to pull him off the edge. "C'mon Loki. We have to go."

"Doctor! We cant...we can't just walk away! Can't we?"

The Doctor kept pulling.

"this is my fault! I told her to do this! I failed her!...I... failed her..."

Now the doctor gripped both of Loki's arms and turned the asgardian to look him in the eyes.

"Listen." he said with serious voice."There is one thing you need to know about traveling with me. We don't walk away. Never."

Loki blinked once then twice and then nodded. His twinkly eyed tour guide had turned into an creature of myths, with eyes that demanded respect.

Loki let himself to be led by The Doctor who made a beeline towards the marketplace.

"I need something precious. Something valuable, I need to make a purchase."

"Don't you have anything, you're the one who has been traveling through space and time for thousand years."

Picking up his...device from his inner pocket The Doctor said: "I only have this and we might still need it."

"Thousand years and only thing you have is a...what a wand?"

"Actually it's a screwdriver."

Not having time to argue, Loki ripped one of the buttons in his shirt. He hadn't been wearing the armor, only the lighter clothes that went under it. Luckily it was still of asgardian wear.

"The Doctor looked at the offered button with an raised eyebrow. "Really?"

"it's from Asgard."

the only things left for him of Asgard were his clothes now, so everything he was wearing was seeped with memories of lost home. He didn't say this to The Doctor , but The Doctor seemed to understand anyways, as he took the engraved button into his hand.

The purchased moped took them safely to the pyramid. That was the easy part, Loki knew that. Gazing up at the massive stone pyramid Loki also knew that whatever would come next, would not be easy.

Frustrated he glanced at the meteor they had left. Meteor hosting probably hundreds of thousands of people.

"How can they all just watch and not help. We are the only ones to come after her!"

"Because this is sacred ground and he is a god. A god to them at least."

Loki rebelliously thought that something like this would never happen at Asgard, but his mind slipped into an image of himself standing in that arena, small and scared, facing a seasoned warrior twice his height. Would the crowd have done anything if Loki's life had been in danger. Loki tried to tell himself that the situation was different then. That they were a warrior race and it had been Loki's responsibility to be ready for the challenge. Loki couldn't quite convince himself and not for a second did he believe that anyone would have tried to help him if it would have gone against the allfather's wishes.

Merry screamed inside the temple. Loki was ripped from his own thoughts instantly.

"Hold on!" he screamed against the stone door of the temple and concentrated. He needed his magic. He needed it now!

The power inside him answered and slammed against the stone door. The stone door answered by slamming back. Countless wards and counter curses made their way back to Loki's fingertips through the connection. Loki's eyes flashed red and then he found himself on his knees, gasping for breath and trying to not vomit. Loki gathered his scrambled mind back together in a blink. He had no time for this. He had panicked and acted without thinking. He needed to try something more subtle, something that would work around the wards.

The Doctor stepped right up and pointed his "screwdriver" at the door. There was a whirring sound and to Loki's utter amazement the stone door started to agonizingly slowly open up.

Inch by inch the door crawled upwards. Loki looked at the device that The Doctor was holding on his hands. The Doctor could deny it all he wanted, but the device had to have some magical powers. Apparently powers stronger (or just more sophisticated) than Loki's own.

Loki did not spare too many thoughts to that mystery right now, because he could see the outline of Merry standing in the darkness of the temple. The girl seemed unharmed to Loki's eternal relief. The Doctor also saw the girl inside and addressed her while forcing the doorway to open up enough for the girl to fit through.

"Hellou! I'm The Doctor, You've already met Loki, he was supposed to have a nice day out. Still, are you coming. This door is immensely heavy, I'm not going to be able to hold it up forever."

For Loki's confusion the girl did not rush towards the open door and safety. Instead she shook her head stubbornly. "Leave, you'll wake him!"

"Did I mention, that the door is really, really heavy." The Doctor was clearly struggling with the door, so Loki bent down and squeezed inside.

The inside of the temple was very bare. The only thing drawing your eye was the raised glass cage in the middle holding a sitting mummified figure inside. Loki assumed that this was the "old god." In front of the raised steps was kneeling a man hidden beneath a red robe, chanting and rocking slightly back and forwards. He didn't seem to notice anything that was going on around him, but Loki almost felt like kicking him for spite anyway. Merry was standing right there tears in her eyes.

"Come on Merry, we need to leave."

"NO!" she screamed and took a steps backwards. "Go away! You said that I wouldn't get it wrong. And then I got it wrong and now this happens!"

"No Merry, it wasn't your fault. You didn't get it wrong, now Come on."

"How would you know! You don't know anything! Now you have to go."

She was pleading at the end and Loki felt ugly twisting in his stomach. It wasn't Merry's fault, it was his fault. Merry hadn't wanted to sing, she had been afraid and He had told Merry to sing anyway. He had sent Merry here.

"Go! Before he eats us all!"

Loki looked at the glass cage in the middle of the temple. To Loki, the creature seemed to be dead.

Hopping the low stepping stones Loki examined at the creature inside the glass closer.

"Sometimes when somebody claims to be god, they really aren't. Trust me I know. And I don't think this one looks big enough to eat us all."

"Not our meat, our souls!"

Loki turned back to merry and tried to grab her shoulder, when something crackled around his hand. There was violet energy gathering around him. Studying him, poking at him. The foreign magic pinched on all his nerves. They needed to leave now, but apparently it wouldn't be as easy as just physically dragging the girl out. Loki glanced back at the corpse dressed in robes, sitting on its throne. Was the corpse doing magic after all. Was it some kind of defense system of the temple, not allowing him to touch the girl. Was it Merry herself, behind the painful violent energy, only visible to his eyes.

"He doesn't want you, he wants me! You have to leave now, or he will eat you too!"

The Doctor was panting back at the doorway.

"And you don't want that do you! You want us all walk out of this really, quite astoundingly heavy door, and never come back!" The Doctor panted out between breaths.

"Yes"

"I see. Right. Well that's never gonna happen."

Then The Doctor lowered his screwdriver and rolled inside the doorway. There was a mighty slam as the door closed with everyone still inside.

Loki closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath.

"Did you just lock us in...with the soul eating monster?"

"Yep."

"Is there any other way out?"

"Before it eats our souls?"

"Ideally!"

"Possibly, maybe, probably, there usually seems to be."

Loki didn't know whether to be scared to death or seething angry. He opted for the anger.

"Are you insane?!"

the foreign magic kept clawing against him. Having had enough of the painful way it tried to break against his own, Loki lashed out letting his own golden burst push away the unfamiliar power. At least for a moment.

the man siting in the middle was still chanting away, seemingly not even noticing all the drama around him.

"And what are you still singing about!" Loki demanded. It might have not been the right place to vent his anger, but he still did it.

The Doctor had crouched in front of the chanting man, ignoring the raging Loki behind him.

"Hes singing the old god to sleep. But it's not working anymore, is it. He is coming, ready or not and you might wanna run."

The man stopped his chanting

It felt like the power in the room doubled, the old twisted power gathering around Loki and breaking through his own protection effortlessly. Like ropes the power twisted all around him and physically yanked him up the stone steps, throwing Loki's back against the gold glass of the cage.

Loki could see the robed man lift his gaze up to see Loki's golden magic battling against the violet one and losing. Loki could see pity in the mans eyes before he simply vanished, leaving behind only the crisp smell of ozone. A Skywalker then. And a powerful sorcerer. And also someone who knew that there was no hope in going against the old god. It was not a reassuring thought.

"that's it then the songs over." The Doctor did not sound as terrified as would have been appropriate for the situation, instead he sounded even little exited. Loki did truly have the worst tour guide in the history of the universe.

Pointing his whirring screwdriver at the glass, The Doctor hopped the steps up and joined Loki in the top step. Loki still couldn't move.

There was huge roar behind Loki and he could feel something banging on the glass behind his back.

"It's awake isn't it!?"

"Well, you know, he's having a nice stretch." The Doctor rambled. "And you know what. We didn't wake him."

The Doctor was now circling the glass and then turned to point Merry with his screwdriver.

"And you didn't wake him."

Another roar and a pound on the glass.

"He woke up, because it was his time to do so."

The pounding was now rhythmical.

"And feed on your story."

The Doctor was still pointing at Merry.

Loki tried to steer his mind away from the pounding happening behind his back. Through gritted teeth he hissed at The Doctor: "She didn't say story, she said soul."

The bonds were still holding and even more alarmingly, Loki could feel them sucking his own magic away. The creature was feeding on his magic! Loki tried to trash, but the invisible hooks just sunk deeper in.

"The same thing. Songs made of stories, not actions, everything that ever happened to us, people we loved, people we lost, people we found. When he awakes, people offer him pure soul, the soul of the queen of years. You look scared, good you should be. you are sacrificing yourself. You should know what it means." The Doctor addressed Merry.

It was true, Merry did look scared. Her resolve was starting to crack, there was fear in her eyes and she started to back away from the stone steps.

Loki didn't wonder why. He could hear another roar vibrating in the thin class protecting him from the beast inside the glass. This was not how he wanted to die. Being rendered helpless by foreign magic and being unable to even see the beast that would end him.

Ideally he didn't want to die at all. Funny thing, it had only been few days, but it seemed like ages ago, that he had decided to end his own life. Of course he couldn't have died then, but had to die now that he didn't want to.

"Do you know what that means Merry?" The Doctor was still talking to the girl.

"the god chose me."

"It is not a god. It wants to feast on your soul, but that doesn't make it a god. It is a vampire and you don't have to give yourself to it. Let me tell you a story you might have not heard."

The Doctor crouched down to meet the scared girl. He was speaking in soft voice that Loki had no more attention to listen. Instead his brains concentrated on the growling noise coming from just behind his right ear. He was angry, bitter and frustrated. Why couldn't he have just died in the void. In peace and quiet. Why had The Doctor picked him up just to die here. In some far away planet, eaten alive by some unfamiliar monster. He hated The Doctor for bringing him here and most of all he hated The Doctor for giving him hope and will to live again, only for that life to be ripped from him. And he hated himself for being too weak and helpless to do anything about it.

"And finally those elements came together to create you, Merry Galel. You are unique in the universe, there never was another, and never will be another Merry Galel. Getting rid of that existence isn't a sacrifice, it is a waste."

"And what about me!" Loki shouted. It was all well and good, but right now it was him and not Merry in the most threatening situation.

"Hold on!" The Doctor called out and whipped his screwdriver out again. He dashed back up the steps to stand besides Loki again. "I need you to work with me here. One good energy blast against the restraints and I'll do the rest. You distract, I'll do the lock-picking."

Loki nodded.

"Good, on my count. Three, two, one, now!"

Loki ignited against the power that was holding him. His eyes once against blackened and sparked at the same time, but then he could feel his body being let go. Gravity helped him to fall down from the steps.

Glancing back up when his eyes once again cleared, Loki saw that there was now a crack in the glass wall, exactly where his lower back had been seconds ago. The ugly creature inside was howling and throwing itself to the walls like a madman.

The Doctor helped Loki again to find his unsteady footing. "Great, now you just open that door again and we can leave?" Loki let the unspoken question linger at the end of the sentence.

The Doctor did an apologetic wiggle with his hands "I'm afraid that might have been only one way ticket. There are limits even to the sonic-"

Merry's faint voice silenced Loki's upcoming rage before it could even get out of his mouth.

"Something is coming." Merry whispered. "The vigil." Her voice was shaky. "They have been training me my whole life. Looking after me. Preparing me. They know that I have been bad."

Loki was about to correct to the clearly brainwashed girl that gaining the approval her caretakers was not healthy anymore if you had to literally kill yourself for it, but he had no time. True to Merry's words the vigil did arrive.

masked guards, all in black materialized in the room. The vigil. Even if they had changed the wardrobe, from red robes to black leather, Loki recognized them as the same ones that he had seen chasing Merry when Merry had asked Loki to hide her. Now Loki wished that he would have hidden Merry more permanently.

"I'm sorry!" Loki could hear Merry's frantic yell behind him. Loki was feeling uncontrollable rage towards the Doctor, towards the unhelpful people of Akhaten, towards the old god, towards the traditions of Akhaten and towards himself, but not towards Merry. She was the only piece in this play that had done nothing wrong.

"Don't you dare to be sorry!" Loki snarled, but didn't let his eyes of of the three men he was facing.

Loki gathered his power to his fingertips.

The Doctor was holding his screwdriver up and pointing it at the vigil.

"Don't come any closer! I am armed!" he threatened them. Loki gritted his teeth. While no doubt ingenious and powerful in it's own way, Loki was quite sure that the thing that The Doctor was carrying was not a weapon of any kind.

The Doctor seemed to know this too, as he added with frustration. "With a screwdriver."

One of the masked men let out a screeching violet tinted energy blast from where his mouth would be under the mask and blasted the screwdriver from Doctors hands. Another blast send the time lord flying towards the wall.

Another one of them turned towards Loki and let out same kind of energy blast. Loki blocked it with practiced ease. Whatever power had been holding him prisoner before, was not reachable for the vigil. Now taking the offensive, Loki created a clone of himself to draw the attention of the attackers for that second he needed to blast his own golden force. Loki very rarely used his magic as an offensive weapon, very rarely having to battle other spell casters.

Magic was an double edged sword that way. Those who could wield it, were also more vulnerable to it.

The vigil answered with a shield of energy of their own, but were not strong enough to completely block Loki's rage fueled attack. All three were thrown backwards against the stone steps of the old god

Doctor had scrambled to his feet and had the screwdriver again in his hands.

"Good job Loki."

Loki didn't waste time waiting, but with few well placed swift kicks to the head made sure that the vigil would not rise up to attack again.

Merry whimpered at the display of violence and Loki felt sorry for the girl. Loki might have been trying to protect Merry, but this was still the same vigil that had looked over Merry her entire life. It was a miracle that she was still standing, having just found out that those she had trusted had planned to feed her soul to an bloodthirsty monster.

"Is there any other way out?" Loki questioned nobody in particular, while glancing around.

"Well... there is a tale. A secret song." Merry hesitantly answered.

Loki didn't see as he had his back turned towards them, but he could hear the Doctors manic grin in his voice as he spoke. "And a secret song opens a secret door! Right?! Good, fantastic, can you sing it now Merry?"

Merry opened his mouth and started singing. There were no words in her song, just notes rising and falling up and down, but it seemed that Merry had been right, there was a rumbling noise and a small stone door opened up in the wall of the temple.

The three of them made quick way in the cold corridor and finally made it out into the bright glare of the orange sun again.

From inside the temple echoed great noise of shattering glass. The cage had finally broken. The beast that had been trapped inside let out mighty roar and The Doctor wasted no time in using his screwdriver to seal the door closed behind them again.

Merry let out small scream and latched herself to Loki. Loki put his own arms around the girl too, and not only for comfort of the girl.

It became eerily silent. There were no more roars from the old god that had broken from his cage. Or any other sound at all.

"Why did it go silent?" Loki questioned slowly.

The Doctor looked worried. His face was now more worried than it had been inside the temple. It creeped Loki out.

"I might have made a teeny tiny tactical mistake. A boo boo in calculations."

"A mistake! What kind of a mistake!?"

"well I thought that the old god was the grandfather. It wasn't. It was just the grandfathers alarm clock."

"What exactly are you trying to say?!"

The Doctor didn't need to answer, for the answer was forming right in front of Loki's eyes.

"Dear Valhalla."


	5. rings of akhaten part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki makes some choices with drastic consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone for patient wait. Rewievs will always be greatly appreciated.

The sun, in all of its orange glory was twisting and revolving until there was a huge black gaping mouth formed in the middle of its round shape.

They were going to die. They. Were. Going. to. Die.

"No. You promised." All courage that Merry had had, was now gone. She was now just a terrified little girl and Loki wasn't sure which one of them she was now talking. To him, or to The Doctor.

"You promised it was going to be alright. Now it's going to eat us all. And then it's going to eat all of the seven systems and spread beyond and..."

"Okay, shhs. I know I promised." The Doctor told the girl. Loki still couldn't find his own voice.

There would be no way of fighting that. Even his brot...Thor would run in this situation. An army of Asgard would run, for Valhalla's sake.

"We have to leave." Loki heard himself say with calm that he did not feel.

"Yes. Great idea. Let's go to the nineteenth century London, they make great scones in there. Good plan."

"you aren't going to leave? Are you? You are going to fight it!"

"Regrettably yes."

Loki had to tore his eyes off of the abomination on the sky to stare at the madman beside him.

"How? It's enormous!"

"Nah, I've seen bigger."

"Really?"

"are you joking! It's massive!"

Loki's stomach felt cold, but the asgardian prince in him forced the next words out of his mouth.

"How do we fight it?"

"We don't fight anything. You are going to take Merry and run as fast and far as you can."

"Are you telling me to run from battle?"

"Yes."

"That can't be right. It never happens. Turning away from the enemy is dishonorable and cowardly. You said that we must never walk away."

"No! But do you know what is truly honorable and brave. That when we have something precious, we hold on to that and we run and run. We do not make sacrifices in the name of honor. We protect and if there is any way to do that protecting while hiding and cowering from the enemy, we will damn well do that. Now. You are going to take Merry, and the moped, and go. Don't worry. I'll catch up you later." The Doctor ended his speech with a wink.

Loki couldn't decide if the Doctor was the bravest or the maddest person he had ever met.

"Go! Somebody needs to get the girl out of here." The Doctor pointed out and Loki found himself agreeing.

Hopping on the moped and driving away from the temple, Merry holding tightly on his waist, Loki wondered of The Doctor.

Everything he said, sounded as far away from the asgardian line of thinking as possible, but still The Doctor seemed to be braver than any warrior of Asgard.

Landing on the arena sand, Loki glanced back to the temple. The lone pyramid seemed so small in front of the blazing old god. That was it. He was going to lose the time lord. A moment ago, he had been ready to skin the time lord himself, but now he felt just hollow. It shouldn't have ended like this.

Merry was still standing next to him and gazing at the pyramid too.

"Isn't he frightened.?" Merry's small voice asked.

"I think he is." He would be insane not to be, Loki thought.

"I want to help him."

"Merry, there is nothing we can do."

"But I want to."

Stubbornly, Merry walked towards the small podium where she had been singing and started to sing again.

First, little unsteady, but then gaining strength, her voice floated in the air. The crowd, slowly slinking back from where ever it had dispersed to, started to sing with her. Loki had not expected that, but it did create a strong melody, that however mad he might have been to the audience, was still beautiful in its own way.

Loki wished that The Doctor would hear it in that temple.

Loki knew that he had reached a crossroads of an sorts. There were now many different kind of actions he could take, but none of them seemed very favorable.

One, he could find the Tardis and lock himself in. Not a good plan, as the Tardis didn't seem to want to let him in without the Doctor.

Two, he could flee by himself. There were many travelers in the market, it was possible that one of them would take Loki with them, or Loki could just hide himself in some local transport and travel to some galaxy far far away and hope that he would survive. Not a good plan either, too many risks and Loki didn't fancy such uncertainty in his life at the moment. Or maybe the truth was that he was still too tired to fight for his life like that.

Three, he could grab Merry, demand that she flee with him, like The Doctor probably would have wanted. Merry was the local knowledge bank, so she would know where to go and how to leave. It wasn't that bad of a plan.

It was actually the best plan that he had and The Doctor had told him to take merry and run. As long and as far as they could.

Loki didn't want to do that either. Would they truly ever be safe. Disgraced prince and queen on a death penalty.

There was also something else forming in Loki's mind. An idea, a mad, mad idea, but it was taking root inside his thoughts.

Or maybe he was just afraid of dying alone.

May the reason be whatever it is. Loki still took the moped and headed back towards the temple.

(And maybe it was the voice of his mother in his head. Telling him how brave he has always been.)

When Loki found The Doctor, his face was crunched in pain, and he was lying on the ground. The panting breaths leaving the time lords mouth told Loki that he was still alive, but clearly in great pain.

Loki walked past the time lord. Now was not the time. Now all his attention was given to the creature wanting to devour the universe.

"You want stories right!" Loki's voice was not as steady as he would have liked it to be.

"souls. Energy. Magic. In the end they are all just the same thing to you. Well I've got you story. A story of a lifetime!" The sun was watching him. He could feel it now. The breathtaking power all concentrating on him. A little asgardian, no a jötnar runt. Standing in front of this creature, older than he will ever be and more powerful than he could ever imagine. It was grinning at him.

So Loki did the stupidest and bravest thing he has ever done. He offered his hands to the sun-god, palms up and kept them there as the golden tendrils snaked their ways around them.

"This skin is a lie! A beautiful lie weaved by the allfather himself! This skin is nothing more than a story! It is a story of a childhood! It is a story of a family! It is story of life that was a lie! It is a magic trick, played to fool everyone! It is full of promises that got broken! It is full of dreams that will never be fulfilled!"

Loki's pale aesir skin was peeling off of him in a golden dust. The blueness was revealed from under it and Loki could feel how the spell rushed trough his veins, until it reached his skin and finally left him, to turn into golden dust in the air.

Loki could feel the sun gods power inside him. Ancient, hungry. But also...full. The creature was reaching its limit. No wonder, It had just gone against a time lord. A time lord must have been a true competent, even for a creature as powerful as that one.

Still it continued to suck the aesir form from Loki.

"This is the son Odin could have had! Instead of an stolen relic! This is who I could have been, instead of an monster! These are all the days that could have been, and that never were! Take it. Take all of it. I'm offering you my magic! It might not be as pure as the soul of the queen of years, but there are lots of it."

the sun god extended its essence and Loki was overwhelmed. It was like burning and freezing, but at the same time it was like waking back to life. It tore Loki apart and build him back together again. It was pure unlimited power pulsing inside him.

There was also a voice. An ancient voice.

"Little asgardian who plays with true gods. I know who you are Loki."

Loki felt the fire burning in his veins. He did not scream, but the agony forced him on his knees. He would have regretted his heroic choice, if he had had any energy to think.

The voice continued echoing inside his mind.

"The ragnarök bringer travels with the one who burns inside time itself. Death is a cheap price to pay for stories that you together will create."

Loki was falling again. He was trapped inside a spinning vertigo that went down, down, down. He was burning and freezing. He felt the infinity opening in his shadow and it was going to swallow him.

"I see them. I see them all!" Loki did not as much hear the voice, but feel it, but still you could say that there was almost manic edge in the ancient voice now.

"I see the end and the start and all the infinities between. Loki who will kill gods and destroy suns. Loki who will bring the ragnarök."

The burning had increased to the level that Loki could no more tell himself apart from the pain. He was the fire and he burned in the middle of the dark empty infinity.

"My brother is a fool to pursue you under his command, tiny asgardian. Goodbye titan-killer." The voice got fainter and was no more than a whisper in the end. Loki did not think of this, as he was not conscious enough to even hear it. But the voice was still there, before the sun-god collapsed in on itself.

Loki woke up to gentle sunlight warming his eyelids. There was no more blazing red star giving light to them, there was only the sun, now more pale but also giving out warmer, more natural light.

Loki did not notice any of these things. His whole body hurt and his head was ringing. Blinking his eyes fully open, he could see the form of The Doctor fussing over him.

Noticing Loki's blinking eyes, The Doctor was soon smiling down to him.

"we did it Loki." The Doctors voice came to Loki's ears like it had traveled from somewhere far away, even if the time lord had said it right next to Loki's ear.

Loki shakily smiled to The time lord, before the darkness took him again.

The next time Loki woke up, he was in his bedroom in the Tardis.

The next thing he noticed was that he was in his jotun form. Jumping up in horror Loki tried to will his aesir skin to return. It was in vain. Nothing happened. Like a tidal wave, the memories of the past day came flooding back. The planet, Merry, the old god. He had given his asgardian form to the old god. He had given his magic to the old god!"

He had given his magic away. All of it. Even the spell that the allfather had put over him to keep the monster hidden. There was numbness in Loki's legs and he ended up collapsing on the floor. Sitting down against the leg of his bed, he wondered how his life ended up like this.

Maybe if he would close his eyes, he would finally wake up in his own bed in Asgard and he would be an aesir and his brother would be there and everything would be fine.

He didn't. He was still inside the Tardis, stuck in his true monstrous skin.

There was a knock on the door.

"Loki, you okay?"

Without waiting for an answer, The Doctor stepped in.

"There you are. Awake and dapper. How are you feeling? Any dizziness? Headache? Soreness?"

For a moment, Loki could do nothing but stare. It was like the time lord could not even see the change in Loki. So he exploded.

"Aren't you afraid!"

"Afraid? Just hours ago I went to face down a massive god like creature the size of a sun that wanted to eat all of our souls, and you are asking if I'm afraid now!"

Of course The Doctor wouldn't fear him. He was a time lord. He might look harmless, but he clearly was nothing but. The time lords wouldn't fear monsters like the frost giants. The Doctor was tho one who fought the monsters without fearing them.

"Why are you pretending that nothing is wrong. You let a frost giant inside your precious ship. Aren't you disgusted!"

The Doctors face melted into an worried frown. Loki sneered back.

"No Loki. Why would you say that. Of course I knew from the first night that you spent here, that you weren't an aesir. I had the Tardis scan you for your health."

Now Loki was baffled and a little bit angry. This was the vault talk with Odin all over again.

"Then why didn't you say anything!"

"Well, I thought that it was none of my business. It is your race after all, shouldn't pry into it. Quite personal thing. You told me that you were asgardian, so I called you asgardian. I was being tactful. You know, social tact and all that nonsense. I'm doing it wrong again aren't I?"

Loki just stared at him.

"Okay. Listen. I know that you asgardians are a little testy around the jotuns, with all those wars and everything, and I have no idea what your story is, but the jotuns are not a race that would make me disgusted. Believe me they are not."

"They are monsters!"

"They really aren't. I've seen true monsters, and you are not one. I've seen creatures that disgust me with their existence, but the jotuns are not one of them. They are far from them."

Loki didn't answer and after a moment of silence The Doctor grabbed his hand and started to help him up.

"Come on then, lets get you up again."

Rising on his feet Loki pondered on the Doctor's words. The Doctor could say anything he wanted, it still made Loki feel sick when he saw the blue skin of his arms.

The Doctor had guided him in the kitchen and soon there was a cup of tea sitting on the table in front of him.

"We are still in Akhetan. I thought you might want to say goodbye to Merry before we leave. Merry at least wants to see you before we leave."

"She does?"

"of course! You saved her! Actually you saved the whole system. People are very grateful. See we even got gifts!"

The Doctor grinned and pulled a basket from under the table. It was full of those electric blue coloured fruits that Loki and The Doctor had eaten in the beginning of all this. Loki absentmindedly picked one and bit in to the sweet tasting fruit.

"actually they would have given us much more, but I told them that the fruits were enough. They were not easy to persuade, oh and, also this."

The Doctor fished a small object from his pocket and put it on the table. It was Loki's button. With the asgardian royal symbol carved into it and all.

Loki stared at it. It glinted back at him.

"Your home isn't lost."

Now Loki snapped his eyes to look at The Doctor. "yes it is." he snapped back.

"No it isn't. Your home is not lost, you are lost. There is a difference. Your home is still there, waiting for you to come back, and it will wait for you till you've find your way back again. It might take years, or even centuries, or even millennium, but it is there. It doesn't matter that right now you see no way of returning, because one day you will."

Loki wanted to make a scathing remark. Something along the lines, how would you know, but his tongue was held back.

There was weight in The Doctors words. Weight that suggested that a remark like that would not be very "tactful".

Instead he ended up saying. "But right now I'm still lost."

now The Doctor smiled again. "Don't worry. Being lost is not a bad thing to be when you're with me. It means that while being lost, you can also be everywhere and everywhen."

Loki felt a smile tug on his lips. The time lord truly was a fairy tale, as nothing else could have made Loki feel that kind of shimmering hope inside him. It felt like being a child again, instead this time the stars were not unreachable.

"You are a creature full of surprises Doctor."

"Yeah, that's me, now let's go meet Merry!"

"I'm going to miss you."

Merry was hugging the breath away from Loki, who was again wearing the pale skin of an aesir. Loki had refused to leave the Tardis in his jotun form, no matter what The Doctor had assured him of, and finally, after many arguments, the Doctor had disappeared inside one of the spare rooms and brought with him a little device.

"It is called a shimmer." he had said and then tied a strings around it making it a crude necklace. It was some kind of an alien tech, and it was used as a disguise. The shimmer had worked and he now looked again like the aesir that Odin's magic had made him look like. Pale skin and green eyes. The shimmer was not comfortable, as it made his skin shiver, but Loki would take the goosebumps and itchiness hundreds times over letting others see his true skin.

"I'm going to miss you too." Loki whispered to Merry and actually meant it. Merry was a brilliant child and he knew that she would be an amazing queen. Not just a sacrifice, but a true ruler.

"Thank you. For everything. And I don't mean just that you saved my life, I mean everything."

Loki felt a warm tingling in his stomach again and he doubted that it had anything to do with the shimmer. Sentimentals. How did he fall into such sentimentals so fast.

Oh yes, The Doctor. The time lord in mention was grinning at the pair like he could read Loki's mind.

How did The Doctor make him so soft in such a little time.

Then again he had just been helping in the downfall of an ancient soul eating god-like creature. Maybe The Doctors way wasn't so bad after all. Maybe all these sentimentals weren't making him weak.

Seeing The Doctors smile just broaden, Loki had to wonder if the time lord could read minds, or were his thoughts just so plain to see on his face.

Maybe it didn't even matter that much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile on earth.
> 
> I dont know where I am!
> 
> I DONT KNOW WHERE I AM!
> 
> I dont know where I am!
> 
> Jarvis!
> 
> I dont know where I am!
> 
> Jarvis are you listening?
> 
> Yes sir.
> 
> I swear you weren't just listening me. How is that possible you aren't programmed to zone me out, that's just rude.
> 
> I'm sorry sir, I thought i heard some interference in the datacloud.
> 
> You, what?
> 
> I probably just imagined it sir.
> 
> Jarvis, you're an AI. You don't imagine anything.
> 
> It must have been a glitch then.
> 
> Okay whatever, we have a tower to plan, no time to waste, lets get to work then.
> 
> Of course sir.


	6. the bells of saint john part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki learns the meaning of the word internet and the doctor learns to fly a plane.

"Loki! Where are you!"

There was no answer, the busy streets of London stayed busy, but also very Lokiless.

"I let him out of my sight for a minute! Why did he wander off? Why do they always wander off?!" The Doctor muttered to himself.

The streets did not give The Doctor an answer. With a frustratetd sigh, The Doctor rested his back against the tardis, looking at the familiar wooden side of his oldest companion.

"You wouldn't know old girl, now would you?"

The Doctor didn't expect an answer from his old girl, he usually didn't expect answer when he started talking to his ship, so the loud noise next to his ear took him by surprise and made him jump in alarm.

Grrriiiiingg!

The phone located by the tardis side rang again.

The Doctor hastily fumbled the receiver up against his ear, the cord twined between his fingers.

"Hello..."

"Oh wonderfull! It did work afterall."

The voice on the other end of the line was unmistakebly Loki. How Loki was suddenly calling him, The Doctor had no idea.

"Loki! What? How? Where are you? Where did you get a phone? Or this number?!"

"Oh, the queen gave it to me. The phone and the number."

"The queen! Have you been talking with Elizabeth! What? How!?"

"Well, I might have gotten a bit lost and..."

"thats why you don't wander off!"

"...and I ended up in this place, that I later heard is called the Buckingham palace. I don't realy see it, I mean for a palace it is a bit small and plain, nothing like at Asgard and the guards are absolutely incompete. I mean, I was able to get pretty far before the guards catched me. If I had been an assasin your queen would be already dead. Anyway, The queen of this realm turned out to be quite pleasant lady,-

"She's not the queen of the realm, only of the-"

-and when she heard that I was with you she offered me tea and we talked a bit and she gave me this phone and your number so I could locate you again. Where are you!?"

"Loki I...you can't... oh whatever. I'm with the tardis. Where you would have been too if you had been sensible and tought, Oh I'm lost on an alien planet, I should propably try to find The Doctor again instead of wandering off on my own!"

"Well, I was curious. Both you and Thor would swear up and down that Midgard is the most interesting realm in the universe and such a special place. It does raise my curiosity."

"Whatever. Are you still at the palace?"

"No. After the queen gave me a tour, by the way, the throne room is much too small to make any kind of impression. Well, On the other hand the thrones itself looked much more comfrotable than back home. Still, no amount of golden leaves can make up for the fact that there isn't even an echo in the room."

"Yes thank you, I'm sure that the Windsors will put all this into consideration, but where are you right now?"

"I was escorted out by the main gate, from there I made my way out to this lovey park straight ahead."

"Allrigh, don't move, don't wander any further away. Are you-?"

"It's not my fault that … wait hold on a second."

With that the line went silent and The Doctor was left to strangel the phone receiver in his hand.

 

On the other side of London, Loki was interupted by his converstation with The Doctor, by a voice to his side.

"Are you lost?" The owner of the voice was a young looking brown skinned woman, who had an weird looking hair messed in to several tubes and a bright yellow scarf holding them back from her face. Loki was still surprised at how different looking the midgardians were from each other and how willing they were to go the extra mile to make themselves stand out even more. It was like the complete opposite of asgard, where the common folk were all one grey masse and the lords and ladies competed with bespoke helmets and fancy battle armors.

"You have a starkphone," The woman informed Loki. "you could just use the google maps app."

the woman looked bored, which striked odd to Loki, as it had been the ladys choice to start talking to him.

He also had no idea what the lady was talking about.

"Where do I find this "google maps"? And what's so stark about my phone?"

the lady looked at him with the universal look gven to idiots everywhere. Loki ingnored the impulse to say sometghing nasty to the woman, as it seemed that he might, with any luck, get something out of the converstation.

"Which century do you live in? All starkphones have the map app made really easy. Just let me show you."

 

Riingg!

The Doctor lunged at the phone. "Loki! Is it you?!"

"Of course it is me. Who else. Where is the internet?"

"What!?"

"The internet? I was told, that it holds all the knowledge of Midgard. I got curious, but I can't seem to find it in this "laptop".

"Wait, hold on, backtrack a little, where did you get a computer? Why? And where are you?!"

"I'm sitting in a park with lots of birds and-"

"are there any pelicans in sight?"

"-and yes there actually are. So I borowed one of those computers, but how do I find the internet?"

"Borowed? Did you steal someones laptop!?"

"I'll return it. Eventualy. Maybe. Now, the internet."

"Click the downright wifi button in the corner...Wait, no you can't just run away and steal someones laptop because you are curious!"

"uhm, it keeps asking me a password."

"Okay don't move, I'm making my way to and we are going to have a very serious converstation in the near future."

"That's weird,"

"No it realy isn't, your disregard for the rules..."

"Not that. I meant that I can't translate one of these words. I have all-tongue, how can I not be able to read it?"

"Okay, just stay where you are, I'm coming to get you. Then you and me are going to have some very serious words."

 

The phone went mute as The Doctor hanged up on Loki. Loki smiled to himself, imagining The Doctor slamming the door of the tardis and working on the levers with frustation.

Loki snorted in amusement to his mental sight. They were in Midgard, what did The Doctor think could happen?

 

At the same time, inside an neat office room, workers were clicking on their computers like in any other office anywhere. Only thing noteworthy, might have been that every single one of the workers eyes were the same shade of blue.

"Ma'am would you take a look at this."

"what is it now?"

"we found a positive hit, but we can't find any kind of information about the user."

the middle aged woman with short dirty blond hair looked at the screen over her subordinates shoulder. The asian man, whose blue eyes shone unnaturally, gestured at the screen of the web camera picture where the pale dark haired man was sitting in a sunny park.

The laptop is not his and facial match cannot be found. Also seems to lack even the basics of computer skills."

"intresting, upload him."

 

Back at the park, Loki was getting a weird prickly feelilng on his neck.

The park had suddenly gotten suspiciously quiet. The tree under which Loki had situated himself had been far enough from the walk routes to offer loki some privacy, but he had still been able to hear everyone else in the park. Now it had become silent.

In his life, Loki had learned to trust his senses and placed the baffling device that went by the name laptop, down on the ground

Standing up Loki concentrated on his senses.

What ever was here with him was not The Doctor, of that Loki was sure. Walking few tentative steps ahead, Loki tried to make sense of the foreboding feeling.

He was afterall in Midgard, and even if his magic had been lost, that didn't mean that he would have anything to fear from the humans.

It was still better be safe than sorry, so when he heard steps behind him, he turned around fast and dropped into a battle stance.

His opponent was a little mortal girl in a white dress and hair done in a neat braid up in her head.

Feeling a little stupid, Loki dropped his stance and fixed his face for nonchalance.

"Hello."

"Hello."

expect that everything was not right with this human child.

"Are you lost?"

"I'm lost."

Like where did she come from, how could she have sneaked up to Loki in a silent and empty park without Lokis notice.

"How did you sneak up on me?"

"I sneaked up on you."

And he had seen her before.

"I know you don't I?"

"You know me don't you?"

there had been this book in the tardis library. Nothing special, a midgardian novel. Loki had been curious of what kind of literature they read in midgard and read it. Summer Falls by Amelia Williams. Very different in style than what he had gotten used to in Asgard, but surprisingly entertaining and clever. He also might have cried a little at the chapter eleven. Not that he would ever tell that to anyone.

This girl had been at the cover picture.

Taking a step towards the anomaly standing in front of him was not propably the smartest thing he had ever done, but he was curious.

"What are you?"

they weren't supposed to have magic like this in Midgard, he was sure of that. He was also sure that he should sense something from the creature, even if his own magic happened to be gone

Maybe he should have just ran. As it seemed to turn out, the girl was deffinetly not human as her neck started to rotate backwards.

The last thing Loki thought, before the blue light flashed on him was that maybe he shoudn't have wandered off afterall.

 

The Doctor was going to skin his troublesome companion when he would finaly find him. Who wanders off in an alien planet. Well, his companions actually did that quite often. Why didn't he have more sensible companions. Feeling that he was treading dangerous waters with his thoughts, it was a relief to the Doctor that the tardis decided to land just then.

"Loki!" The Doctor called out. seemed to be curiously quiet and empty.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor frowned. Lokis voice was not right. For one it sounded scared. Loki never sounded scared, he had this bad habit of thinking, that not showing anyone that you were scared, would make others actualy think you braver. It was of course rubbish, but that was something Loki would not believe from The Doctor anytime soon.

There was also something else wrong with Lokis voice. It just wasn't right.

"Doctor..I...I don't know where I am!"

skipping over the don't walk on the grass sign, running through the grass, skipping some rose bushes and jumping over bush hedge, The Doctor located Lokis voice. And his body.

Lokis body was laying on the ground in an ungracefull heap and his voice was coming from the...creature standing not a feet away from Lokis body. The creature had humanoid body but no face, just a gaping emptyness sizzling with electrical currents.

The Doctor set his jaw and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the creature. With only one thought running through his mind. Not his companion.

 

Loki didn't know where he was. Never before had he truly understood how lost could someone be. Normaly you would always know the most basic point of where you are. Inside your body. It was so simple, but yet so important. You wouldn't understand the comfort, the safety, before you lost it. Because he wasn't inside his body anymore. No, he didn't know where he was, he just..was. Somwhere lost, somwhere vast and endless and he wantted out.

But he didn't know where to go or how to even move. He was just a consciousness trapped into some kind of a web and he had never in his life been more scared. He was going to go mad any second now.

Then there was a pull and by valhalla did it hurt.

Never had Loki been happier to feel pain, but compared to the floating scatteressness of before, he welcomed the familiar ripping pain. And just before the blackness swallowed him, he could feel the web try to pull him back, In response Loki felt his being take a hold of a part of the web and ripping, taking a part with him. Then he was in his familiar body again and knew no more, as darkness claimed him.

 

The Doctor halted his fervent typing when he heard the blessed gasp of air coming from his companions lungs. He did it, Loki was back!

Quickly he abandoned the laptop and went to check The jotuns life singns. Luckily they seemed all be in order.

Feeling his hearts settle down, The Doctor gingernly kissed the forehead of his newest companion and started working on getting his frost giant back into the tardis.

But not before typing a short message to his new mysterious enemies.

Inside the office building, two plainly in black dressed workers, stared at the three words shining on the big computer screen hanging on the wall.

Under my protection -The Doctor.

 

Loki woke up to the smell of sun cakes. It was familiar smell of the little bright yellow cakes found in every asgardian market place. Sweet, made from honey, goat milk and leftover brans of brown bread, the sun cakes were the favorite treat of every asgardian child.

Blinking his eyes, Loki found out that he was in a bed and in the table next to him was a glass of water and a plate full of sun cakes.

Not yet awake enough to think clearly, Loki grapped one of the cakes and ate it.

It tasted just like when he had been a child running around the market place with Thor.

Blinking himself fully awake, Loki took a look around. Finding out that he was in the tardis bedroom, did nothing but raise a loadfull of questions.

He did not remember going to sleep, how did he end up in bed? What had happened in the time he lost? And where had The Doctor found sun cakes?

After some searching, Loki found The Doctor sitting outside the tardis. He had an portable chair, and little table, that was covered with some kind of a mechanical machine that The Doctor was tinkering with.

Hearing the tardis door open, The Doctor spun around and grinned at Loki.

"You're awake!"

"How did I end up asleep?"Loki countered and did not answer the smile.

"Ah. Now, that is a long story."

"We have time." Loki said and grapped the empty chair. (The Doctor had been waiting at him then.)

"Yes we have. How much do you remember?"

Loki concentrated for a moment. How much did he remember? it was all a big jumble inside his head.

"There was a girl in the park... no not a girl, some kind of a creature. I didn't fear it, not at first and then it did...something."

"You're right, it most deffinetly was not a girl. In fact the thing that attacked you is now lying down right here." The Doctor said while gesturing down at the mechanical mess scattered on the table.

Looking more closely, loki could see that the thing was roughly (Very, very roughly) the shape of a body. It had arms and legs. That was where the similarities ended.

"So it was using magic afterall" loki mumbeled to himself, but apparently The Doctor had heard him as he answered: "No, not magic, technology. Very advanced technology, deffinetly not from this century earth. This is not a living thing, this is a tool that someone send to harvest us."

"Harvest?"

"yes. You were using the internet, and there was something in the wifi. This whole world is swimming in wifi, the whole planet, living in the wifi soup. Suppose that something got in it. Suppose that there was something living in the wifi, harvesting human souls. Extracting them. Imagine that." the last part The Doctor whispered omniously. Unfortunatly, it was not yet impressive enough to impress Loki, who just raised his eybrow. The Doctor didn't care, he carried on with the same dramatics.

"Human souls, trapped in the world wide web, like flies. Stuck forever, crying out for help."

there was a beat of silence when Loki digested all that information.

"So basicly it's like twitter."Loki finaly concluded.

The Doctor snapped his head up from his work and stared at Loki.

Loki stared back.

The Doctors face took that far off look, that meant that those otherwordly brains had just found something.

"a computer can hack another computer. A living sentinent computer, maybe that could hack people, edit them, rewrite them. And maybe sentient brain could then hack into an sentient computer..."

"and you came to that conclusion because..."

"You're an asgardian that has never before been to earth and right now, you just made a joke about twitter."

The Doctor was right. Now that he stopped to think about it, Loki could feel how his head was swimming with information that by all rights shouldn't have been there.

He wasn't sure wether to be very impressed or pity the human race. He was pretty sure that nothing in the nine realms could even come close to the ingenious insanity that these midgardians called Tumblr.

"They have all the knowledge of their planet on their fingertips and they use their time for looking at cat videos and getting into arguments with people from around the globe."

"yeah, their ingenious, these humans, aren't they!"

The scary part was that The Doctor sounded perfectly sincere.

"I see."

"But back to the point. When they tried to upload you, you didn't just come back. You brought something back with you."

"Yes I did, didn't I..."

"that's my companion, always full of surprises. Always doing impossible things." The Doctor was grinning while saying that, but his grin fell from his face when both he and Loki simultaniesly noticed the same thing.

The lights.

"I highly doubt that all the humans decided to switch on the lights on their houses at the same time."

"No Loki, they didn't. But the wifi decided to switch on the people."

Something in Lokis peripheral vision caught his eyes and he quickly spun around. There was a man in suit standing under the street light. A man that didn't have a face.

"Doctor! It's here!"

Loki may not have had his magic, but that didn't mean that he was going to be caught unawares again. So he grapped the flimsy chair and threw it into the ground shattering it and then grapped two splintered chairlegs into his hands. Not exactly a weapons of his choice, but one must make do.

Even if his blood was pumping with adreanline, his brains kept wondering at creature.

"How does it take that shape without an aid of magic?"

"Not the time Loki!"

Oh, so he said it out loud then

But the creature did not move, or shove any signs of agression. It just stood there.

Apparently it didn't need to, as it became clear when all the lights in the city surounding them blinked out and only he and the doctor were left in a spotlight.

"They're going to throw a plane on us!" The Doctor shouted. Loki wouldn't have needed a warning as he could hear and see the roaring mechaninchal machine closing them from the sky. He most deffinetly did not need any prompting to jump to the safety of the Tardis.

The Doctor was already pulling on the levers befor Loki had even closed the door behind him. With the familiar wheezing noise and a great deal of shaking and trashing, they were off.

 

When Loki saw where they had landed, he had a great impulse to hit The Doctor in the head. Repadetly.

"YOU DID NOT!"

they were inside the falling plane. Of course they were.

"Don't worry! We just have to switch of the wifi and get the plane flying again!"

"We are going to die! IN MIDGARD!"

I's not like Loki actualy expected The Doctor to listen, it was just so therapeutic to rage for someone. Unfortunatly for The Doctor, he happened to be the only conscious one around to listen.

Loki knew that he could have retreated back to the Tardis and hope that The Doctor would survive on his own, but instead he found himself following the mad man. The Tardis would propably drop him back to the void anyway, if he let The Doctor get himself killed.

"I CAN'T FLY A PLANE CAN YOU!"

But he could definitely punch the man in the face if they survived this.

"I'M ASGARDIAN! WHAT DO YOU THINK! NO!"

"Great let's do it together!"

They were just seconds away from a fiery, crushing and painfull death and loki definitely did not scream like a girl, while seeing the ground come closer and closer.

He might have giggled a little undignifiedly when they rose above the ground, just meters away from the hard unforgiving ground.

And his walk might have been a tad shaky when they retreated back into the Tardis.

"You better have something realy good in mind to make up for what you just did," Loki panted, knuckles white from grapping the railing.

"Of course I do. Let's have breakfast." The Doctor cheerfully called back.


	7. bells of saint john part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we meet the eyes beneath all the blue ones.

Loki stared at the metal contraption, that The Doctor had the audactity to refer as transport. In Lokis opinion, anything that looked to be only one gentle shove away from falling over, should not be descriped as a transport.

"No!"

"Come on. It'll be fun."

"No!"

The Doctor pouted at Loki. As if his puppy eyes would change Lokis mind over wether to climb behind the time lord on the two wheeled death trap.

"What? I am an excellent driver."

"Like with the tardis?"

"are you suggesting what I think you are!"

"I'm not climbing on that thing."

"Loookiiiii..."

He wasn't going to do it.

 

In the end, he did end up sitting behind The Doctor on the motorcycle, but he did not enjoy it, even if it turned out that The Doctor was a pretty decent driver.

Not that Loki would ever admit that to The Doctor.

 

But the breakfast was good. The tea was even better. The change to sit down on a sunny terass and not be afraid for your life was the best.

"Still, we could have just taken the tardis Instead of you forcing me to "experience mototrbikes."

"And miss the scenery. No! Also, I don't take the tardis in to the battle."

"Why? It's not like anything could hurt it."

"It is the most powerfull ship in the universe, I don't want it falling into the wrong hands. Anyway, they must be close, deffinetly London. I can hack the lowest level of the program but I can't locate the exact location. The security is too tight." The Doctor frowned at the laptop open on the coffee table, like the laptop was being uncooperative on purpose.

"Okay, but what about if, or when, " Loki amended, seeing The Doctors face, "we do find them. What is our action plan then?"

"Oh I don't know."

"Of course you know. We are hunting a dangerous enemy, you must have something tought up."

"Well you know what they say about plans."

"What?"

"I don't have one."

"There must always be some kind of a plan."

"You mean like you do."

….

"give me the laptop."

"No! I need it."

"We need the exact physical location of our enemy. I can find it for us."

"Are you joking, even I can't get past the security."

"and I hacked into their datacloud with my mind, stole years worths of IT information, while having my soul sucked out of my body."

"And I'm a time lord!"

"Five minutes and I'll have the location. You can get me some more tea at the mean time."

"That's ridiciluous."

"Five minutes."

"Oh, fine. But the security is absolute."

"you don't infiltrate a castle by finding faults on the walls, but finding faults on the people who defend them."

"Fine, fine."

The Doctor rose up and headed for the cafeteria, propably for the tea that Loki had half seriously demanded.

After few steps, he however halted and stopped to study Loki, while the asgardians fingers flied across the keypad.

"What?" The said asgardian demanded pissily.

"Nothing. It's just. You know that you don't have to prove me anything."

"Excuse me."

"I don't keep you around because of your skills or uselfullness, you know that."

"Tea. Now."

The Doctor rose his hands in an universal signal of retreat and dissapeared inside the cafeteria.

Pointedly not thinking of The Doctor, Loki focused his mind to hacking the webcameras. Don't waste youre time banging the wall when you can find the weak links in the guards...

Yes! It worked. Little pictures of all the workers flooded the screen. Now it was nothing more than finding the right matches from the social media. And if the information that he had aquired in his head was right, that wouldn't be a problem at all.

And it wasn't. The information was all neatly written up in facebook, myspace, livejournal etc. Humans. They begged to be noticed.

Loki could see The Doctor coming back for him. Without the tea. Really, after all that fussing.

The victory of infiltrating the system succesfully was however still so sweet, that Loki didn't even complain about the missing tea.

"I did It! I found them!"

"You found them?" The Doctor responded.

"They're at the shard. The floor sixty five."

"The floor sixty five."

"Yes, yes! Aren't you listening..." the realization hit Loki fast. It wasn't The Doctor.

Seeing the creatures head already starting to rotate, Loki wasted no time. Quick as a snake, he dropped to the floor and rolled, aiming straight to the creatures legs. Loki used the momentum and his own mass to sweep the thing off its legs. The walking station hit the ground with a crunch and it's camouflage flickered off. Now it was just a walking metallic spoonhead.

It's head started to rotate again and Loki knew that he needed to do something and quick. If the creature manged to face him, he would be gone.

Drastics measures needed to be taken, so Loki grabbed the nearest chair from the ground and smashed the chair leg straight through the creatures spoonhead. An electric current went twitching through it's body, before it shut down entirely.

Loki dared to breath out again.

"Loki!"

The Doctor, The real Doctor came running through the cafeteria doors.

Loki stood up, brushing off the dirt from his clothes and was immediatly wrapped in a hug.

"Oh Loki. Thank Rassilon you're safe."

"And you still don't have the tea."

The Doctor let out a shaky laugh. "Sorry."

Finaly The Doctor let Loki go and moved on to inspect the spoonhead that's head Loki had smashed through with a cafeteria tableleg.

"Well, that one won't be rising up again."

"that was rather the intention."

"Yes good job. Now we just need to find out their headquarters."

"Already did." Loki turned the laptop to face The Doctor.

Seeing the information gathered on the screen, The Doctor grinned again, running his hand through his hair. "Loki. You are amazing! A miracle, that's what you are!"

And no, Those words were not affecting Loki in any way. Why would he care about getting praises of his work.

There was a beat of silence, that got broken when The Doctor clapped his hands together. "Now all we need is a plan!"

"A plan. I like the sound of that." Loki grinned

 

unfortunatly their plan included the motorbike. Staring up at the class tower, Loki reminded himself that he had faced down worse things. Propably.

A shagged man holding a bagel in his hand stopped beside them on the walkway, a blue sheen taking over his eyes as the mind control took over.

"Really now Doctor. A motorbike. Seems hardly you're style."

"Tell me about it!" Loki couldn't help but snark from the backseat of the bike.

"Oh hush now. I rode this thing in the 2074 antigravity olympics."

"Really! Then how did you do?"

"I came last."

"Why doesn't that surprise me in the slightest!"

Instead of answering Lokis snark, The Doctor just revved the engine.

What came next left all the bypassers in the street collecting their jaws off the floor.

In Lokis opininon if he never had to ride a motorbike upwards a class wall, it would be too soon.

 

When miss. Kinslet opened the door to her office, it was to the sight of a shattered glass wall, The Doctor lounging on her chair, and The Doctors companion going through her paperwork in a bored fashion.

"Oh please, do come in." she politely said for the two tresspassers while closing the door behind her.

"Terribly sorry about the draft." she continued and gestured to the broken glass and the motorbike lying on the office floor amongst the shatters.

The companions lips twitched up in a subtle grin and his sharp green eyes peered at her, over her own paperwork.

But the companion was not who she was interested in. No, the one to hold her atenttion was The Doctor.

The Doctor that was lounging on her chair, the oldfashioned mototbike helmet still on his head, looking smug like a cat over stolen cream.

"You" The Doctor started, pointing a finger at her. "Are going to download them back."

"I can't do that"

"Yes you can and you will."

"Hmph. Do you even understand what would happen if I were to do that."

"Yes! Those that still have able bodies around would go back to them."

"Small number. Rest would simply die."

"They would be free from a living hell!"

There was no swaying The Doctor. That became obvious. He might not have been human, but he seemed to care about the well being of humanity more than they themself did. During the argument The Doctor had rosen from the chair and was now towering over her in a manner that he propably thought to be intimidating.

"Why do you even need them?"

Miss Kinslet had been so focused on The Doctor, that he had all but forgotten about the other man standing in the room.

"Excuse me?"

"The souls. What would you possibly need human souls for. Technology like this. You could rule this planet. Why do you hide?"

Well, well, well, miss Kinslet thought. Had the Doctor picked up a little bit more than he could handle.

"I assume that you are not from this planet then?" Miss Kinslet took a great pleasure in seeing something akin to worry flash in The Doctors eyes. Was the pet overstepping its boundaries.

"No I'm not." the dark man answered, green eyes studying her. "And I'm curious"

"I can see that you are. And to answer your inquiries, Our customer needs the souls."

"And who is your customer." The man asked, setting the papers down on the table.

"Confidental."

"It doesn't matter. You will release the souls. All of them! Loki, focus on the mission!"

Was that worry in The Doctors voice. Miss Kinslet was allmost sure that she heard worry in The Doctors voice. Good. Very good. And even better was that Lokis eyes were still focusing on her, not at The Doctor.

"No. It does matter. This is power I have never seen before. It...could be uselfull to me."

"Loki! We have to focus on saving the humans."

"No. You have to focus on saving the humans." With that, Loki swept two small daggers into his hands from somwhere amongst his person and with one fluid movement attacked The Doctor.

It was almost beautifull, miss Kinslet thought, seeing the green eyed man bring The Doctor to his knees with few quick movements. Faster than a thought, there was a dagger on The Doctors throath and the traitorous companion was calmly spinning the other dagger on his free hand.

That had escaleted quickly.

"What an interesting turn of events."

"Loki! No, Loki what are you doing!"

"If I were you, I would be quiet."

"Loki no, this is not you! This-"

"What? You thought you could trust me. Rule number one, I always lie."

"Gentlemen. If you could put your personal drama beside for the time being and maybe you, Loki, could enlighten us for the purpose of your very sudden and dramatic betrayal."

"Simple. You need to get rid of The Doctor, I need some of your resources. I thought that maybe we could help each other out."

"If you think that The Doctor is any kind of threath to us-"

"Don't lie. You are not very good at it. Of course he is a threath. Haven't you heard the stories?"

"Fine. You are offering The Doctor to us in a silver platter and from us you want...?"

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves. Firstly I want information. Who are you working for? What do they want with the planet? How strong are they? If I deem the information acceptable, I might think about changing sides. Oh and I might also be persuaded into giving away the location of the tardis."

"NO!" The Doctor shouted and tried to break from Lokis hold. Loki answered with pressing the blade harder against the mans throath and gripping the other one of the time lords hands and twisting it behind his back.

"If you give them the tardis, the whole universe could be in danger. At the wrong hands the tardis could create unimaginable destruction-"

"I know all that." Loki whispered in the time lords ear and grinned. "One could burn the universe with it."

"You are offering the tardis to us?"

"I'm offering my alliance, which might or might not include the tardis with it."

there was a beat of silence when miss Kinslet pondered her options.

"Have you ever heard of the great Chitauri empire?"

"Must not be so great afterall, as I have not heard of them."

Miss Kinslets blue eyes flashed, even as her tone was even.

"Don't get too cocky. The empire has subjucated more worlds than you can propably imagine."

"I have a vast imagination"

"The chitauri..." This was from The Doctor, whose tone had become dark. "They are not supposed to be here..."

"Surprised Doctor? Let me tell you a story. The chitauri were a vast and ever spreading empire, not too long ago in the past. Secret of their succses was found on their home planet. Nowhere else in the universe could you find the blue energy that their planet was full off. The chitauri could power their weapons with it. They changed their planet into a weapon factory and set their course to the stars. Then it seemed that nothing could stop the empire. Expect that one day all of their resources vanished. Planet xz-556 was no longer able to create the energy needed to continue the warfare. Nobody could explain how or why this happened."

here miss Kinslet gave The Doctor a long look. The Doctor stared steadily back.

"But whatever might have happened back at the xz-556, the fact was, that the chitauri were left weak. They could no longer keep the whole empire. They were forced to retreat from over the half of their conquered planets."

"If this is supposed to impress me, you are not doing a very good job."

"but the chitauri will rise again. We have found alternative resources and soon the universe will again be ours to pick. We do not need or require you in our plans. It is only our curiosity that is keeping us open for your suggestion. And frankly I don't see why we should waste our time with you. If you have something to offer, I would suggest that you do it now."

"How interesting." Loki purred back. The smirk never leaving his face.

"Loki! This has to stop now!" The Doctor yelled.

"Very well." loki shrugged and threw the knife away with a lazy flick of his wrist.

The Doctor gulped a long lungfull of air "Whoa, thank rassilon Loki, for a moment I thought..."

The Doctor did not get to complete his sentence as Loki skillfully took the time lords head on his hands and twisted, untill a snap informed everyone on the room of a neck that had been broken.

 

The Doctor snapped his fingers in glee. He had found what he had been looking for. The computers whirred in the dark room while The Doctors hand flew on the keypad. He had found the frequence necessery to contact the chitauri.

A scream could be heard in through the walls, just few floors away. The Doctor divided his atenttion again to the other laptop sitting innocently in the table and snapped the mic again on.

 

Miss Kinslet screamed. There, just few feet away from her, was kneeling the doctor, whose head the companion, Loki, had snapped around. The move had been forcefull enough that the old leather helmet had rolled off of the auburn curls on The Doctors head.

Expect that it wasn't The Doctor. No, there was the gaping hole of the spoonhead sizling with elecricity on the back The Doctors head.

"You've lost." said Loki, sounding incredebly smug. "Give up, and you will save the threads of your dignity."

"No!" miss Kinslet hissed. "No! You have not won anything!"

"Are you sure? The real Doctor is already in the building, hacking into your systems and stealing all your information."

Miss Kinslet was edging backwards, just to bumb into a wall. She seemed to see that both physichally and metaphorically she had no where to run.

"How..."

a voice crackeled in the air, coming from the spoonhead. The voice of The Doctor, that had became more artifical now that the spoonhead was no longer pretending to be a time lord.

"Walked through the front door. It's a funny thing but sneaking in was surprisingly easy. One would almost think that the security were distracted by something. Something as ridicilously impossible as a motorcycle driving upwards the front wall. Now, I would advice you to let the souls go."

"You will never get the souls! Only those with security clearance high enough, have the power to activate something like that!"

"Thats why we are going to persuade you." was the last thing miss Kinslet heard before being sucked up by the spoonhead. She wasn't sure wether it had been The Doctor or the companion talking.

 

The Doctor pushed the final button and the computer screen went black. He could hear the commotion that was starting to spread across the office. He did not have much time. Luckily the screen blinked few times and finaly formed a picture inside of an alien ship. The connection had been made.

"Hello! I'm The Doctor, and I come with an important message."

The chitauris facing him from the screen were not impressed.

"Who are you and how did you hack the coms?"

"The Doctor, weren't you listening. And I'm brilliant. Also, earth is under my protection, so I would advice you to back off."

The laptop that he had used to control the spoonhead double beebed and Lokis voice came through.

"Doctor, you were right, the human survival instict is stronger than the mind control, but miss Kinslets men are not quite as obedient as you calculated They will not release their commander, even if she is trying to command them to do so."

"I'm in a middle of an threathening negoation! Just, figure something out, and what do you mean my calculations..."

"How am I supposed to... I don't know the first thing about the chitauri technology!"

"Learn!"

The Doctor shut the com off and turned back to the chitauries.

"Sorry. I'm sure you know what it is like, teamwork. Oh wait, no you don't as you mind control all of your underlings."

"What is your point human!"

just then another chitauri came hurrying to the room and whispered something to the commanding chitauris ear.

"I have been informed that you...The Doctor...are not human."

"And I'm sure that that's not the only thing that you keep whispering about me."

"What is it that you want, Doctor?"

"I want you to leave. Permamently. Never come back for this planet."

there was a whirring from the laptop, the rewrite for releasing the souls had been ordered.

"You have nothing to gain in here anymore. You release the mind hold and walk away and we will all be happy."

a door opened behind The Doctor, but luckily it was jus Loki walking in.

"it is done."

"I noticed, good work."

"who are these?"

"these Loki, are the bosses. The eyes beneath all the blue ones. The chitauri empire that apparently thought about fueling their ships with human lives."

"Charming."

And now they are going to release all the humans still under their hold and turn back home like the nice aliens they are."

"are they?"

"yes they are"

"If you think that we take orders from..."

"from what? Do you know how many names I have been given? Do you know what the daleks call me?"

the chitauri glared at The Doctor and The Doctor glared right back.

After what felt like an eternity, the chitauri answered.

"very well. The planet earth is not benefitical planet for the chitauri to waste their powers on. We will drop the operation."

Loki blinked, as did The Doctor.

"We bid you goodbye, Doctor. For now." the chitauri leader announced. Before cutting the call, it made a long calculating gaze and for some reason setteled it on Loki.

Loki pointetly did not feel a shiver on his spine.

 

The humming of tardis had already became a calming noise for Lokis ears. It was safe, constant and if it hadn't been so sore spot for him, Loki would have called it homely.

But the calming noise of the tardis was not what Loki thought about.

"Do you think that this whole deal was a bit...off?"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, it makes no did the crumbling chitauri empire get enough power to reach earth and create a base operation? Why human souls? Why not a direct attack, that would be more their style. And after all that secrecy, they were not very subtle. Someone was bound to notice."

"You were bound to notice."

The Doctor gave Loki a look. It was haunted.

"Yes, yes I was wasn't I?"

"Someone helped the chitauri."

Loki hadn't been afraid under the scrutiny of the chitauri commander but the eyes that The Doctor gave him, did make a chill go down his spine.

"yes."

Then the moment was over and The Doctor was the familiar bouncing ball of energy again.

"Well! I guess my plan to introduce you to the wonders of earth did not go as well as planned. But no worries, we can try again, how about rome, there is one lovely..."

"Did you ever doubt."

"What?"

"Me. You never doubted that I wouldnt jump to the other side."

"What? With the chitauri? Of course not."

"Why not?"

"You don't want to spend your time conquering the universe when you can have something so much better, like already having it. I can show you all time and space and they would make you sit in a throne. I know you are smart enough to see that there is no contest."

Loki surprised even himself by laughing. And not any mocking or fake laugh either. A real delightfull laugh.

"You are the maddest person I have ever met."

"Thank you."

Loki surprised himself even further when he almost answered by saying; no thank you. But he was still Loki and he did not say anything further

The Doctor heard it anyway.


	8. cold war part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there are monsters and submarines

THE COLD WAR

"you won't need the armor!"

"Are you kidding! Last time we went to have a little sightseeing, I got my soul sucked out of my body!"

"To be fair, the armor would not have helped you against the spoonheads."

"Not the point! And the armor is coming!"

"Oh for the love of...Well, if you want to be uncomfrotable..."

"Great! Where are we going anyway?"

"Las Vegas! The city, not the planet. You are going to love it. People travel long ways to get lied and tricked in that city."

Loki fastened last of his belts, which was a tricky feat seeing that the tardis floor under him was shaking and stumbling under The Doctors not so perfect driving skills.

Finaly the tardis settled down and loki managed to get the belt point under the right loop. His travelling armor, that he had been wearing the day he had met The Doctor, might have been beautifull and sturdy, but it hadn't been done in mind for quick dressings.

The Doctor was already on his element, dashing throught the door and yelling on top of his lungs:

"Vivaa Las Vegaaas!"

Loki loved traveling with the Doctor. He really did. Of course he would never say it out loud, but for the first time in a long, long time he was happy with his life.

Then there were the moments when you open the tardis door, and you expect to see a sparkling midgardian city, and instead meet up with small dark room flashing with lights, screeching with propably alarm noises and the cold water hits you straight in the eyes.

Those were not the moments that made traveling with the Doctor seem enjoyable experience.

"I really hope that this is not the midgardian idea of a city of dreams!"

The floor under him was waving with water and not steady. It was like stepping from the tardis into a tardis that the pool had taken over. And was making a crash landing

"NO! This is a... a sinking submarine!"

"A sinking what! Sinking! We are underwater!"

"A sinking soviet submarine!"

Loki was 99% sure that the Doctor wasn't supposed to sound so happy about being inside a sinking soviet submarine. Whatever that was. But Loki had already once been inside a falling aeroplane, so he had a basic idea of what was happening. Screaming midgardians. Little midgardian vessel that was propably minutes away from obliteration. Manic Doctor giving orders and speaking faster than Sleipnir could run.

Of course the midgardians had to be difficult and start arguing back. Honestly! At a situation like this!

"Just do as your told for norns sake!"

Loki would have liked to think that it was his use of the royal commanding tone that did the trick, but truth was that most likely everyone started to obey the Doctor, because he was the only one in the room with any kind of an idea for what to do.

It was a wise move from the midgardians, because after some epic screaming, grinding noises and franctic lever pulling, everything calmed down.

Loki let out a long breath and thanked the norns for the blessed quiet that had came.

They had just saved everyone in this vessel.

Admittely Loki had not really done anything and he hadn't exactly expected any grand gestures of thankfullness, but neither was he expecting the rough hands of the humans around them grabbing him in a obviously hostile manner.

"search them!" came the command from the human leader.

"if you dare to touch-!"

"Loki!" came the franctic hissing from the Doctor, who was already secured against a pole and had his pockets searched by two soldiers.

"Just, just let them. We are not going to start a fight now."

Loki disagreed with every fibre of his being and kneed one of the men grabbing him straight in the guts.

"Loki!" the Doctor was sounding franctic now. "please." he continued more softly.

They were humans, all of them. Loki could have easily taken them all down with his superior strenght and speed. But the Doctor was pleading him.

The only saving grace of the situation was, that at least no one from asgard would ever know of his humiliation, as the feeble humans pressed him against the same pole as the Doctor and started patting his clothes up.

"Sir, this one has several hidden knives inside his clothing."

damn, he had been careless. It hadn't even taken a minute.

"Loki!" came the scandalised yelp from the Doctor."

"What? I feel naked without them."

"we do not carry weapons with us-"

"Speak for yourself."

"Sir, this man has more knives inside his clothes than the whole headquarters have in their kitchens!"

"That is not how we do things! We do not travel around the universe bearing arms, thats- NO thats my screwdriver don't-"

"Oh! Excluding the tardis. Or the screwdriver? Or the fact that we have already twice ended up fighting for our lives. Do you even know where we are this time?!"

"we are in a planet in the brink of an nuclear oblivion. Lots of itchy fingers on a buttons. Shoulder pads, nukes, its the eighties. Everything is bigger."

"How cute. Then, Doctor, I would suggest that we leave." Loki hissed shoving on of the humans away from his body, grabbing the throwing knife back from the mortals grasp.

"Loki! Reign your temper. This has all been just a misunderstanding and I'm sure that when we have talked it-"

The Doctor did not get to finish whatever he was going to say, as the floor underneath their feet tiltted and the walls started groaning in very threatening manner. The water sloshing on the floor waved and the whole room tilted.

The sudden change of gravity threw Loki off balance. He wasn't the only one, as all the humans in the room where thrown off their feet. Unfortunaly one standing nearest Loki, tried to balance himself by grapping for Loki. The fingers searched for something to grap on and by some evil twist of fate, found themself tangled on the chain of Lokis shimmer, that had gotten loose underneath the cloth and the leather.

Loki heard the sound of something snapping while his body was being thrown across the room by the motion of the enviroment. For a second he could see his own blue hands and felt the world slow down around stuck in a nightmare. Somwhere in the distance the tardis screeched and the Doctor was screaming. The cold water lapped at his ankles. The lights were too bright and flashing around him. The cold clang of steel as it collided with his head. Then there was blackness and dancing stars underneath his eylids.

When he slugishly blinked them, he noticed that he was lying on the floor and that there was a red puddle forming somewhere underneath him.

He had been still holding the knife.

He saw the sonic screwdriver lying on the floor, blinking its green light at him. So like magic, the magic he had lost... the light was almost hypnotic, filling his vision...why was it so hard to think...

then it all faded to black once more.

Loki woke up to the voice of drippling water and shouting voices. He registered that he was wet and sore. Luckily the water that he was soaked in was not cold, for he felt pleasantly warm.

Then he opened his eyes and saw the hands cradled on his lap. They were blue.

The water wasn't warm, he was just cold.

Loki tried to fight the nausea down that engulfed him. He had been propped in a sitting position against the metall wall and now that he could register his surroundings better, he could see two humans watching him, pointing their weapons straightly at his head.

Well, it seemed that they weren't completely stupid afterall.

"Me, Loki, time travelers- Loki! Are you okay!"

that was the Doctor arguing with the leader of the humans and- oh he had asked him a guestion.

Was he okay. Of course not, he was robbed of his aesir appearance, he had stabbed himself in the stomach and got hitten on the head by a metal rail. He also felt like being violently sick, but that was most propably because he was forced to see glances of his own blue hands inside his asgardian sleeves.

"yes."

"You're lying, but I guess I'll humor you. And you two. Stop pointing the guns at him!"

"What is that thing with you!"

Loki almost snapped at the human for daring to talk to him in such a way, but then caught the sight of his blue hands again, and became too nauseated to speak.

"He. Is my friend. He can be your friend too if you stop pointing your guns at him. How about that. We're all friends down here right?"

"He's blue!"

"So is your uniform. What's wrong with blue. Beautiful colour. The best colur in the world actually."

a dry snort escaped Lokis mouth. "Now you're talking about the tardis again."

The tardis! What had happened to her!

"Wheres the tardis!"

"I'll tell you later. Now we are wasting precious breath here. Lets all be reasonable-"

I'll tell you later! That was bad. Really bad.

Keeping a cautious eye on the humans with their weapons, Loki tried standing up. The humans gripped their weapons (guns! Doctor had called them guns!) tighter, but luckily didn't seem to be attacking.

There was a wet cloth pressed against the now already healing stab wound. The cloth seemed to have came from the Doctors shirt, even if it was now soaked in water and dark blood. Luckily his leather armor had protected him from getting stabbed fataly.

He was never going anywhere without it again.

Aside from the dull pain from the wound and some dizziness. He seemed to be okay.

Of course the humans were trying their best to change that.

"-having you both shot!"

the humans pointing their weapons at Lokis skull stiffened. There was a change in the athmosphere that chilled even Lokis monstorous jotun skin.

And then came the hissing sound.

Loki has faced all manner of beasts and monsters on his travels with Thor and he was not afraid to fight against beasts bigger and spikier than he is. But there is a difference in facing a bilgersnipe in an open field with your weapons drawn and magic ready, than being trapped underwater, wounded and without magic, and seeing an giant amored shape near you in the shadows.

And the Doctor was still talking, his back turned, not seeing the thing that had freezed all the mortals in their places.

"Doctor. Turn around. Slowly."

"Ah."

so there was something that could make even the Doctor shut up."

"We were drilling for oil in siberia. We thought we had found a mammoth."

"Its not a mammoth!"

the humans had all but forgotten about him, and were all now pointing their guns at the creature now facing them all.

The best comprasion that came to Lokis mind was the destroyer that he had send to Midgar. Expect that the rattling breath assumed that there was something inside the heavy armor.

"What is it?" Loki asked quietly slinking next to the Doctor.

"It's an ice warrior." the Doctor answered. "Native of the planet Mars. And we go way back."

Lokis stomach rolled at the term ice warrior. And according the tone of the Doctor, not without a reason.

Of course the mortals had to argue again. How could they not accept life outside their little planet when they had three aliens right in front of their eyes. Well, they propably thought that the Doctor was a human, given his appearance, but surely they couldn't think that about him and that...creature. Frost giant and an ice warrior.

It was like a bad joke.

Or a horror story more likely. Bunch of mortals, trapped deep under the sea with two monsters.

Apparently the mortals worked out the situation too, because finaly one of them showed some spine and common sense and readied their weapon against it.

The ice warrior lifted its own hand in return and according the noise was ready to blast the human.

The Doctor intervented immediatly.

"No! Wait! There is no need for this. Just hear me out." he called while holding his hands between the mortal and the ice warrior. Like he could physicaly stop them from attacking each other. Or more likely, stop the ice warrior from turning all the humans on the ship into puddles of goo. The mortals were not known for their endurance.

Facing the ice warrior, the Doctor again started babbling. That was the thing about the Doctor. When in doubt, he talked. He was the antithesis of an ideal asgardian. While Loki had always thought that the asgardian mentality of hit, ask later, was stupid and many times dangerous, he was starting to think that the Doctors completely opposite attitude wasn't very wise either.

"your confused, disoriented, you've been lying in the ice for- for how long?"

"5000 years" one of the mortals from the back supplied.

"For 5000 years. That's one hell of a nap. Can't blame you for getting up on the wrong side of the bed. But listen. Nobody here wants to hurt you." there the Doctor slapped down the gun that was being pointed in the ice warriors direction. The soldiers in the back slowly and quitly lowered their weapons too, but no one eased their grips.

"Why don't you tell us your name?"

"It has a name?!"

Loki grimaced. Even asgardians admitted that jotuns had names. This human was just being suicidal.

The Doctor seemed to agree, if his tone was anything to go by.

"Of course it has a name! And a rank. This is a soldier and it deserves our respect."

"This is maddnes! It is a monster!"

monster that parents tell their children about at night

I'll hunt the monsters down and kill them all!

The frost giants are monsters!

Monster...

Loki wanted out.

He wanted to attack and slay the creature in front of him.

He wanted-

"Skaldak."

the monster had answered.

"I am grand marshal Skaldak."

when the Doctor spoke, and he spoke a lot, he always sounded hopefull, secure, angry, exited. Never had Loki heard dread in the Doctors voice.

So when Doctor whispered dreadfull "Oh no", Loki knew it was bad.

A mortal knocking the ice warrior out was very high on a list of things that Loki would not expect to happen in a milion years.

But he also hadn't expected to fall into a void and get caught by a time lord, so when one of the mortals managed to sneak up on Skaldak, the ice warrior, and take him out with electric shock, Loki just blinked and decided to never expect anything from the universe, ever.

The Doctor was not impressed.

"You IDIOT! You complete idiot!"

in Lokis opinion, this was the best scenario that could have came off of the situation. They were all alive and the monster was down.

But the Doctor did not look happy, and he was the one with all the knowledge of the situation.

"Doctor? The monster is down, were all alive. What is the problem?"

"We just attacked the grand marshal Skaldak. Sovereign of the tharseesian caste, vanquisher of the phobos heresy. The greatest hero that the marsian race has ever produced."

Oh. Maybe Loki shouldn't have concentrated so much on the ice warrior bit, and concentrated more on the warrior bit. This could have been a hero. A Thor of it's own realm. Maybe the only monster here was-

"So what do we do now?" one of the mortals asked, interrupting Lokis spiralling thoughts.

"Lock. Him. Up."

"Doctor! I want answers!"

"well you're not the only one mister blue alien. Like what are you. Are you from mars too?"

"Of course his not. Loki, Doctor. Asgardian, Gallifreyan. His not a threath, I'm not a threath. Any other unimportant guestions to waste our precious time on?"

"Where's the tardis!?"

It's away. Not here. At the moment were trapped. Now! Before you say anything, lets remember that breath is precious down here, and that there's nothing we can do about it right now. So don't panic and lets concentrate on the issue at hand instead."

"I don't ever panic."

"that's what they all say, and then the time-winds hit."

"Can we concentrate here! What is that thing that I have shackled in my torpedo room?"

"You said that he was a hero?" Loki was still pissed that the tardis question had not been answered, but he was willing to move on and concentrate on the issue that they were facing right now. And he was still confused, because the Doctors deeds and words did not match up.

"The ice warriors have their own code Loki. By his own standards his a hero. It is said that his enemies honoured him so much, that they carved his name on their own flesh before they died."

"So in reality it's a monster."

"No. That's not how the world works."

"Well I don't care about ethics right now. Give me, and the crew some facts!"

"marsian reptile, known as the ice warriors. When mars turned cold they had to adapt, biomechanics, they built themselves the armors so that they could exist in their freezing homeworld, sudden increase in temperature and- no! We have no time for history lessons."

"Fine, We get the idea. Is he a danger for my ship?"

"This one is."

"Captain. With all due respect, why are we listening to this nonsense. They are clearly enemy agents."

"Do we look like enemy agents, you stupid mortal." Loki huffed. The Doctor graced him with a disapproving glare, but Loki didn't care. Because of him Loki was stuck under an ocean with a bunch of no good mortals. He was allowed to be a bit rude.

Loki had tried to rack his brain for some information of the time period and situation. There was an impressive ammount of information floating around Lokis brain, that he had stolen from the datacloud few days past and few decades in the future of this planet. The problem was that the information was not neatly organized and reachable. Finding anything from that vacuum of information was largely an hit and miss. Mostly just miss.

Still, Loki was a prince, and fairly intelligent one, so he had a pretty good picture of what might be going on in on the upside. The tenseness and the military. This world was on a brink of a war.

One of the soldiers glanced Loki up and down. Loki sneered at him in the most dismissive manner that he knew of.

"Just because their super soldier looked normal, doesn't mean that the others wouldn't have some side effects on them. In my opinion, these creatures are western weapons."

and that send them all on step zero again. The humans bickering amongst themselves and nothing productive still getting done.

"You know what Doctor. Your attempts to impress me with humanity is not really working."

"Well, this is not exactly their shining moment."

"Is there ever one?"Loki said while rolling his eyes.

The Doctor rolled his eyes back at him.

"Doctor, why don't we just kill it?"

"We can't."

"we can't, or you won't."

"We. Can't."

The humans had finished showing of their feathers, and the captain dismissed the man who had accused him and the Doctor of being spies. The man eyed Loki, like a particulary nasty sewer waste, before striding out of the room.

Loki was not feeling very fond of said mortal.

The Doctor took a step forward to meet the captains eyes before speaking gravely.

"All we had to do, was let Skaldak go. We would have let him go, and he would have forgotten us. But no. You atacked him, declared a war. Harm one of us and you harm us all. It's the ancient martian code. You hear that?" There the doctor pointed at the comunication devices on the table. There was a faint noise that could be heard coming from them. A code. Loki realised.

"Skaldak has sent out an distress singnal." The doctor continued.

"He will bring down the fires of hell just for laying a claw on him."

Oh. So that's why they couldn't kill him.

"So. Lets get this straight. In some unamoutable time we will have our hands full of ice warriors and they will all hate us for attacking their brother in arms." Loki concluded.

"Their legendary hero." The Doctor corrected. "Our fate is on Skaldaks claws now."

"And that fate can be changed only if you get to talk to him. Isn't that right Doctor?" The captain answered, sounding highly suspicious.

"Yes."

"Not a change, I will talk to him myself."

"Skaldak won't talk to you, you're an enemy soldier."

"How would he know?"

"A soldier knows a soldier. He will be able to smell it on you a mile off."

"And he won't smell it on you?"

Loki could have laughed bitterly at how blind they both were being. There was only one choice.

An ice warrior with an grudge against humans. An negoatior with tongue full of lies and praises. Let monsters speak with monsters.

"You know. The asgardians used to whisper that I was the least warrior like man in the nine realms."

both the Doctor and the captain turned around to look at him.

"And I didn't gain the name silvertongue for nothing."

The Doctor looked at him for a moment before the meaning behind Lokis words registered.

"No!"

Loki breathed in and pointetly did not react.

"No. I will not risk you."

"oh there's a risk now. Wasn't this supposed to be just a talk. Isn't the ice warrior in chains?"

"Don't get smart on me."

"You think we will send an alien to negotiate for the fate of my crew. No."

"it was you humans that got us in this mess in the first place."

"Loki, no. I will handle this."

"Not so fast Doctor. If we don't trust mister blue there, we trust you even less."

And Loki could have laughed again, if it weren't for the nagging feeling that the mortal was propably right in assuming that Loki was the smaller threath between him and the Doctor.


	9. cold war part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there is much ado about monsters

"Put these over your ears. We will be listening and watching, and I will talk to you through the whole thing."

"You don't have to. I was a prince. This is what I was trained for."

"And he is not a vanir or jotun or dark elf or whatever you have entertained in Asgard at this time period. He is martian and proud."

"If you think that I don't know about the pride of an warrior-"

"Don't try to fit him into any models you have in your head. He is not Asgardian, the martians are like-"

"frost giants."

"-martians. Aesir and frost giants are not the only warriors in the universe and I need you to stop thinking of either."

"that's not very easy," Loki muttered, looking hatefully at his blue hands.

The Doctor grabbed his hands onto his own, and met Lokis eyes.

"Later, we will talk about this. I promise. But right now we have to concentrate on this moment. Just- just go and try to get him to see that we primitive people want to apologize."

"I'm not one of the primitive people."

"yes you are."

"I was raised in Asgard-"

"And from my point of view Asgard is primitive. Don't worry, it's not a bad thing. I have found in my travels that it is the primitive cultures-"

"Yes, I understand. Doesn't that mean that the ice warriors are primitive too."

"Well they are. But don't tell him that I said that."

Loki snorted in amusement. If they ever got back to the tardis, Loki would make the Doctor take him to Gallifrey. If they truly were so wonderous and advanced, Loki wanted to see for himself. Actualy, why hadn't he asked that before. The Doctor should take Loki to his home planet. Surely the Gallifrey of legends would be the greatest wonder that the universe could offer.

Loki decided to bring the subject up with the Doctor later. Now he needed to concentrate on putting his silvertongue into good use.

 

"-please let us help you. You are not our enemy."

it was familiar. It was calming. How the words flowed from his tongue, easily and steadily. Tempting and coloured with poorly masked pleading tone. It was Lokis speciality, and made the listener feel so good about themselves.

"And yet I am in chains."

Loki recognized the tone. He was being tested.

"You are a warrior. In our place you might have not shown as much mercy to a threath."

"When did I threathen you?"

"I'm sure, that you know that an warrior of your reputation is a threath everywhere he goes."

a praise veiled to look like an unintentional slip. Mixed with fear. No matter what the Doctor said, warriors were warriors and ticked the same way across the universe.

"And yet you attacked me."

"Jus a boy. Using an cowards tricks. Humans are prone to do foolish things when scared."

"Yes. Cowards. Tell me Doctor, how does it feel to hide behind this boys words."

Loki glenched his jaw. Was he just dismissed. 

"You are not talking to the Doctor, you are talking to me."

"Then why do I hear the Doctors words behind all of yours?"

"You want to have this converstation without the Doctor. Fine, lets talk, just you and me."

Loki could hear the Doctors franctic "No" from the headphones, before he ripped them off of his head and crushed them with one hand. Now the audio had been cut off from the chamber. Of course they still had the video, but hopefully Skaldak would not know. Or care.

And the Doctor wouldn't hear what Loki was going to say next.

"The Doctor wants to do this the nice way. He believes that you will understand his reasoning and mercy. That's what he wants you to be. But you and I know differently. We're monsters and we don't care about mercy. Ours or others. We kill and we fight and we do not know mercy, for it is not in our blood. What is in our blood is survival, and that is what I offer to you. Agree to what the Doctor offers you, and we will both walk away from here. Oppose us and I will end you. Like a monster."

"You threathen me?"

"Yes."

there was a moment, when only the dribbling of the water could be heard and then a screeching rasping sound.

It took a moment for Loki to understand that that rasping sound was laughter.

The ice warrior was laughing.

"You came here to threathen me you little thing. Me, the fleet comander of the nix-thassis. Tell me little monster, what will you do. I have lost my home, my people, my daughter. She stood by me on her first taste of action. We sang the songs of the old times. The songs of the red snow. 5000 years, now my daughter will be dust. Only dust."

Loki was momentarily halted. He had had a daughter? They had sung songs? And the warrior, the warrior sounded heartbroken.

But there was no time for that.

"You have your life and your people. The Doctor says that they live on. They will come for you."

"The Doctor says! The Doctor SAYS! I will rip the lying tongues from both of you! You can take your poisonus help and choke on it. I may live alone but I will not die alone!"

Loki had heard enough. The Doctor might hate him for this, but Loki was ready to face that.

This creature was no better than the frost giants and would not yield to the Doctor. It would not rest untill all of the mortals, the Doctor and Loki would fall under its claws.

The irony did not escape loki as he summoned the ice to form around his arm.

The Doctor had forbidden Loki to bring any of his knives to this talk, but even the Doctor could not take away the ice from a frost giant.

Loki plunged the icy blade straight trough the eye socket of the armor.

It met nothing.

Loki took a step back and stared at the empty shell.

It wasn't in. It had escaped.

"you were right, little monster. We are the same." came the voice from the shadows surrounding Loki.

"expect that I am stronger."

Then one of the shadows plunged from the dark and attacked.

 

The Doctor was angry. Out of all the stupid reckless things his companion could have done...

The Doctor should have Ran and fetch Loki the moment he cut off the audio from them. But he hadn't acted and instead had sputtered angrily, but still hoped that Loki would know what he was doing. He had trusted Loki to not do anything stupid.

And what had Loki done? Loki had stabbed Skaldadk

The Doctor wouldn't deny his relief of the fact that the armor had been empty and Loki had not managed to kill the martian.

The thought was instantly followed by dread, because the martian had left his armor, and was currently on the same room with Loki.

The Doctor ran.

He could only hope that he would be fast enough.

He would not end up standing over the funeral ice of his companion.

No. Loki was asgardian, he would want a burning boat.

No! Loki wasn't going to die. Not here, not under The Doctors watch.

So the Doctor ran.

When the Doctor finaly reached the door, he could hear the thumps and clashes of an ongoing fight.

Good, there were still two of them left to fight.

Wasting no time, the Doctor started to twist the heavy door open.

Something, or someone, was thrown against the door on the other side, and both of the Doctors hearts missed a beat.

"Loki!"

"Don't ope- Argh! That door! Aaaagh!"

The Doctor wrenched the door open, and immediatly two shapes burst through.

The other was nothing more than a blurr, as it dissappeared somwhere behind the Doctors back, with impressive burst of speed.

The other was the one the Doctor was paying all his attention. The blue shape of an injured frost giant, that had been leaning on the door, and had fallen straight against the Doctor when the door had been violently opened.

"I told you not to open the door!"

"You're a companion, you don't get to make the rules."

"You let it free."

"You let it almost kill yourself."

"It wouldn't-" Loki started, but had to stop ranting to spit out a lump of dark red blood.

The Doctor quickly took Loki by the shoulders, and propped him to sit against the wall, while he checked Lokis health.

Eyes were maybe a few shades of paler red than was healthy for a frost giant, which meant that Loki was suffering from bloodloss, but that was no news after Loki had managed to stab himself just few hours ago. Loki had also gained few new scratches on his face and one more severe looking wound on his cheek. No head wounds under the hair, the Doctor felt with his fingers. The battle adrealine was still running high, as the touch almost froze the fingers off of his hands.

No major wounds on the torso, maybe the leather armor had been a right call afterall.

Lokis right hand was still covered in ice, but even through the now melting shards, the Doctor could see that the wrist was not on natural angle.

Legs were all in one piece and not bleeding, so he was going to assume the best.

Letting out a breath he had been holding, the Doctor met Lokis pale (too pale, too much blood lost.) eyes again.

"What did you think you were doing!"

"You let it free!"

"You tried to kill him!"

Even the Doctor flinched at the power on his voice. The voice of the oncoming storm. The lonely god.

Lokis pale red eyes widened and he didn't answer. There was terror in his eyes. Buried there deep, the same terror that the Doctor had seen too many times before. The terror of an companion who for the first time, sees not the Doctor, but the time lord behind the names oncoming storm and lonely god.

All rage left the Doctor and only tiredness stayed.

"That's not how we do things. Haven't I told you before. We. Do. Not. Kill. Killing is never the answer."

"Isn't it. What a hypocrite you then are. Don't tell me that those eyes have never killed before."

Oh little asgardian. How much anger and lonliness could that little frost giant body hold. So much potential being buried under the blanket of pain.

"Loki, you are better than this. You are angry and scared and confused and I need you to focus. We can't kill him. If he dies on our hands, what do you think will happen when his people come for him. What will they do when we have nothing more than his corpse to give them. You are clever, you should know this."

"I knew exactly what I was doing! That creature will not show us any mercy. It won't matter if it is dead or alive when, or should I say if, its kind comes for it. No matter what, it will see us all killed. Now it will just kill us all with its own claws! Why did you open that door?"

"Isn't it obvious. You would have died in there."

"You could have locked the door and made sure that I would have been the only one."

"And do you really think that I would do that."

"You should have."

The Doctor wanted to gather his stupid companion for a hug, or maybe slap him in the face. He wasn't sure which one he wanted to do more, but both were impossibilities, seeing as Lokis biology was still in high survival gear and made his skin dangerous to touch.

So instead he leaned back on his folded legs and attempted to calm both himself and the situation.

Oh, and maybe the humans too. They needed to be calmed too.

"What the hell just happened!"

Yes, the humans needed some answers too.

"The signal. It has stopped," informed the professor from the back.

Yes, yes the signal had stopped.

"He left his armor. For an ice warrior to leave his armor, is the greatest dishonor one can commit. Skaldak is desperate."

"Wouldn't that make it more vulrenable?"

"No. It will make him more dangerous. Skaldak didn't get an answer from his martian brothers. He believes that he is all alone now."

Skaldak belived himself to be the last of his kind. and now he had all the rage and the lonelliness and madness that came with that.

"He has nothing left to lose."

 

Loki knew that he had been right. If he had sucseeded in killing the ice warrior, they wouldn't be now all huddled in the wet room, listening to the sombre captain talking about sacrifaces and destruction of the world. His right hand pulsed with dull pain, even though it had been enclosed in layers of ice to keep the broken bones in place.

Even if he had failed and lost, if just the Doctor would have done as Loki had told him, and locked the door, they would have not been brought to this.

Loki had done the right thing.

Then why was it, that again no one else could see it.

He had done it for the Doctor. Not for the mortals or even midgard. He had done it for the Doctor.

For that ancient, wise, powerfull time lord that had jumped straight out of his bed time stories.

And the Doctor had rejected him. Had looked at the sacrifaces that Loki was willing to make for him, and had turned away.

He wantted to hate the Doctor, but for his own disgust, could only feel emptiness.

"Don't be too harsh on yourself, son."

Loki blinked at the old mortal that was lounging against the same rail as he was, and was apparently talking to him. The professor, they had called him.

"I can see it in your eyes. None of this is your fault."

"Of course not. It was the stupidity of you humans that started this all."

"Yes. I'm afraid it is. I guess we just have to hope that the Doctor can get us all out of it."

"I'm starting to highly doubt that."

"courage son. Who knows what the next hours will bring to us."

"Death."

the mortal took a deep breath and shook his head slowly. "Very possibly. Stepashin is already missing, and I fear for him. But I'm russian and I've seen war. There is always hope."

Loki wanted to retort, that he was asgardian, and a mortal could not possibly tell him about warriors hope. But the man had said war, and what could he say to that. Loki had never experienced war, and there was no scathing retort, that would not make him sound like a petulant child.

"You should have stayed in the cockpit, resting."

 

"Thank you professor for your input. You are missing the input, where I am not a feeble human."

"your wrist is snapped and you are shaking all over. Now that the adrealine is starting to wear off, you might drop any minute."

"Again, not human."

"you are a brave boy-"

"I'm not a boy!"

"You know Loki, the good professor has a point."

"And I think I'm going to stick with you, Doctor. "

the Doctor didn't have any argument against that so he just continued onwards in the drippling corridor.

The professor just looked at Loki with utterly detestable amount of concern in his gaze.

Here he was, Loki of Asgard, being pitied by a mortal.

No. Loki of Jotunheim, Loki reminded himself. The blue skin was a second by second reminder of that.

"Courage my dear." the professor muttered to him and Loki hated him for it.

"let us sing a song to keep our spirits up."

the words were so ridicilous that Loki just had to stop and stare at the professor.

It was very...Asgardian idea.

"I am not singing a song."

"what. Don't they have songs where you come from?"

Loki decided to just ignore the professor.

Which for some reason translated as a cue for the mortal to start singing

"-and I'm hungry like a woooolf~. One of my favorites. Duran Duran. Come on, your turn. Don't they really sing anything in your planet?"

"Of course we have songs. " Well actually, Loki doubted that the frost giants had any. They were monsters, they wouldn't sing songs. But Loki didn't want to think of that, so he allowed his mind to return to Asgard, if just for a little moment."The warriors used to sing, The valkyries took my maiden fair, while marching. Lady Sif said that she hated it, but would always hum it when she thought that no one could hear."

"Then lets hear it. C'mon."

"I am not singing." Loki huffed. Discomfort and self loathing momentarily forgotten.

Then came the voice. The voice of someone being brutally killed by a monster. Loki knew the voice, for he had heard it before in his travels with Thor.

The Doctor dashed straight on the direction of the noise, because of course he did. Loki and the professor followed, because of course they did.

The sight that greeted them was not unexpected, but still no less gruesome.

The man had been torn apart, brutally and utterly.

"It's a monster." the professor whispered. Loki silently agreed.

The Doctor, of course did not.

"No professor. He's frantic and learning. Learning all about you, your strenghts, your weaknesses. It wants to know its opponents. It doesn't want to be taken by a surprise again."

"Again?" the professor asked, but Loki already knew what the Doctor had meant.

"Loki was strong. Stronger than Skaldak ever would have guessed. He put up a fight for Skaldak, and skaldak wasn't expecting that."

Yes he had put up a fight. Fight that he would have lost. If the Doctor would not have opened the door, it would have been him laying on the ground, torn in little pieces.

Instead it was this mortal on the ground, barely recognisable and the stench of blood almost touchable.

It didn't matter that he was an aesir. Or Jotun. He was trapped in the bottom of an ocean with an creature both stronger and faster than him, and right now his changes of survival were no more better than any of these mortals in the ship.

The realisation was scary. Was this what Thor had felt like when he had seen the destroyer close on to him, while still on a mortal body?

Had the same realisation bought Mjölnir back to him?

But there was no Mjölnir for Loki, there was only the dark desperation waiting to swallow Loki and his hope. He briefly wondered if Heimdall could see him. If Odin could. Did they know that he was alive. Did they care. Would they care if he died. Would they ever even know. Or would he just dissappear here, under a midgardian ocean in the past, without anyone in Asgard ever knowing the truth.

They backed off from the room and its bloody stench, closing the door behind them. The clang of the metal door sounded more dooming than it should.

 

The Doctor had dashed of in a flurry of dark hair and purple jacket. Loki had not dashed after him.

Instead he was now sitting on a damp corridor with the old professor and trying to guess wether it was blood or just water, that was making his stomach so wet.

"Loki, talk to me. What are you thinking?"

The professor was watching him, looking so old, and parental, and concerned, and it was such a joke, because he was midgardian and Loki should have laughed, but instead he just sagged in on himself and started talking."

"I'm Asgardian. I was trained as a warrior, I was trained by the finest teachers in the realm and- and I'm older than all of you mortals. So much older. I've lived for thousands of midgardian years!"

"but?"

"But why do I feel like I'm the youngest person on the ship."

The professor had a fond smile tugging on his lips, and if Loki had felt even little bit better, he would have cared, but now he didn't have the energy to even do that.

"Tell me Loki. How old would you be on your own years."

"150 ár."

"and would that be much for your people?"

"No."

"Your age is not made up by numbers my boy."

"Dont call me a boy."

"I'm sorry, but as a former parent and an old man I can't help myself."

Loki should have propably been annoyed, but mostly he was just amused. He was being babyed by a mortal.

"So you have children?"

"A daughter. I used to sing to her when she was just a baby. My fierce little baby girl. She had the eyes that told you that she would grow up to be a fighter, that one."

Loki was going to ask more, but he didn't get the change. The conversation and the pain and the blood loss had made him unobservant and suddenly there were claws grabbing his head.

Skaldak had found them.

Luckily for Loki, the old mortal man was not just an old man, prone to baby beings thousands times older than himself. He was also a warrior and instantly grabbed his gun.

Two neat shots over lokis head and the claws retreated, leaving thankfully Lokis head still intact.

Of course the creature just got annoyed and went for its attacker. When the long green claws setteled over the professors head, Loki reached for a knife.

Expect that for a second he had forgotten that his right wrist was broken and covered in ice. The pain shooting from his hand made his eyes fire up and the fingers wouldn't move to grasp the hilt of the blade. No! The mortal was going to die, right there in front of-No!

But the professors head din't get crushed to pieces. The creature, no it couldn't be hesitating, couldn't it?"

there were running footsteps behind him, and then the Doctor was there, hovering beside Loki.

For lokis surprise the creature started talking from its place from the shadows on the ceiling, instead of just killing the man and disappearing again.

"You attacked me. The martian law degrees that the people of this planet are forfeit. I now have all the information that I need. It will take only one missile to end this cold war."

Something flickered in Lokis mind. Information gathered from the future. The east and the west. The mutual fear. The cold war...

the Doctor tried to reason with the martian. "There is no need for this, grand marshall." he begged, but for no avail. The martians voice was raw, nearing maddnes. Familiar.

"My people are dead. Dust. There is nothing left for me, expect my revenge!"

"There is something left for you Skaldak. Mercy." the Doctor sounded desperate. Desperate and pleading. Loki knew that his words would not be heard. He knew the resonance of that voice, knew the insanity behind it. Knew that nothing would penetrate it. Not even the words of the Doctor.

There was another set of footseps behind him and then the captain was there too, pointing his own impressivily big gun at Skaldak.

"We will negotiate from the positition of strenght!"

"put the gun down!" Loki hissed at him. The captain was brave, but right now he was also being a fool. If the martian would have been intimated, it wouldn't still be there, red eyes glowing from the shadows. The Doctor glanced at Loki like he was a pet that just learned a new trick. Loki rolled his eyes. It was clear that the ice warrior still had the leverage of the situation, and it was best to not piss it off.

Lokis suspicion was proven right, when the empty armor of the ice warrior walked into the room.

"It summoned the armor." The Doctor helpfully pointed the obvious.

The mortals, concentrating on a wrong issue here, asked the Doctor, "how is it doing that."

"Sonic tech." the Doctor answered. "few decades and the ironman will figure it out for you. Well not exactly, but almost. Actually I personally liked Tony Starks designs always better than-Skaldak! NO! Wait!"

"And then they were running. Always, always running.


	10. cold war part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki does some soul searching and might even come grudginly to respect some of the humans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMg Guys! So sorry for not updating and instead on sitting on these chapters so long. I lways wrestle with the posting, because I don't want to ever post anything because the chapters never feel good enough, but on the other hand if I just sit on top of my writing and never post anything, what would be the point of writing in the first Place.
> 
> Special thank you for anyone who has rewieved, you guys are the reason that I update and don't give in to throwing the towel.   
> So I wantted to get this episode donr before christmas, as a christmas present for anyone who reviewed, liked or followed. I love you all guys!

"Skaldak no!"

They weren't fast enough. Skaldak already had his claws on the table, and there was nothing that any one of them could do to stop him from releasing the missiles.

"Where is the honor in condemning bilions of innocents to death. 5000 years ago mars was a vast empire, the jewel of this solar system. The people of earth have just begun to leave their caves. 5000 Years isn't such a long time, they are still just frightened children. Still primitive. Who are you to judge them!" The Doctor pleaded, desperation bleeding into his tone.

and just like that, Loki was no longer inside a soviet submarine on the past. He was once again on the bifrost, battling his not-brother.

You can't destroy an entire race!

Why not?

Yes, why not? He didn't have an answer. There was no answer.

"I am Skaldak, and under the martian law, this planet is forfeit."

"Then teach them. Show them another way. Show them that there is honor in mercy!"

No. That wasn't good enough. It wasn't the right answer. It wasn't an answer that mattered.

"Is this how you want the history to remember you? Grand marshall Skaldak, the destroyer of earth. Because thats what you will be! Not a soldier! A murderer!"

it was closer. It was almost the answer. But it still wasn't enough. Because Loki could see the swirling colours of the bifrost, the crackling power in the air, and he knew that it was already too late. Too late for regrets or doubts.

You can't destroy an entire race!

Why not?

"A world! No change for goodbyes, bilions of families, a world!"

But it didn't matter. Because the only thing that mattered was his family. His family, his home. And what was some distant world when you scaled it against your own.

"Alright Skaldak! Alright! I'm a time lord, I know a thing or two about sonic tech. And I will blow this submarine up before you can even reach that button!"

But it wouldn't matter. Not even if Thor killed him on that bridge. Because this wasn't about him, not anymore, it was just this one change, this last mad reach for, for-

"you would sacriface yourself?" The Doctor stared at the martian, willing him to relent

"In a heartbeat," Skaldak hissed back.

And of course he would. But there still was no answer.

Why not? Why not? 

"Look into my eyes Skaldak! Look into my eyes and tell me that you are capable of doing this!" The Doctor screams, no longer able to keep his temper in the tense situation.

But Loki doesn't want to. He doesn't want to see the hate in Thors eyes. Because for once in his life, he wants to do something right. Wants to sucseed in something.

"Well then Doctor. Which one of us shall blink first?"

The only thing that Loki had ever been good at had been lying. Lying and magic. And he had only wantted his family. His family.

"It won't gain your family back!"

Both the Doctor and Skaldak turned to look at Loki. Loki looked back. He stepped forward and locked his gazes with the ice warrior.

"Destroying this world will gain you nothing. There is no reason for you to stop, for spare it. But it will still gain you nothing. Do you think that your family would want this? Would thank you for this? Your daughter? You didn't kill the professor when you had clear change. Why? Was it because he too used to sign with his daughter once. He sang about hungry wolves to his daughter, just like you once sang with your daughter!"

"the songs of the red snow..."

"Do you think that your family would forgive you. Do you think that they would see why you did it. Because they wouldn't. That planet is full of families singing together and killing them will gain you nothing! Only thing it would gain is the disgust and hate of your family!"

"You know nothing-!"

"I do! I do! Look into my eyes and see your future!"

there was a choking noise from the Doctor. Loki didn't care about it.

"Your daughter would have hated you!"

the red insect-like eyes stared at the red jotnar eyes. Neither of them blinked.

The seconds were longer than eternity.

Then the floor was lurched under them. Again.

But they weren't falling, no, they were rising.

 

It still wasn't enough. Loki should have known. He was a good liar. His truths were rarely as impressive. The Doctor was still hoping, he was leaning towards the blinking light, muttering, "Show mercy Skaldak, I'll destroy us if i have to, show mercy..." But Loki knew better.

They had came for skaldak, his peole had came for him and he was safe on his own ship, ready to leave midgard and never look back.

He wouldn't show mercy, he was a monster afterall. He was too much like Loki. Skaldak would launch the missiles.

Then the blinking light disappeared.

Loki stared at it.

The Doctor slumped against the table in relief.

The captain let himself fall against the wall and slide down, swiping the sweat from his brow.

Some of the humans laughed.

Some of the humans cried.

The professor, completely out of nowhere, reached out and wrapped his arms around Loki in a hug, slapping him in the back. "So, how about that song now?"

"And the valkyries came, they came they came, to take away my maiden fair..."Loki found himself singing in a faint voice.

When the professor had let him go, there was the Doctor embracing him. "Oh, were not dead, isn't it glorious. We saved the world."

"I think it was technicaly Skaldak that saved the world."

"Isn't that even more glorious. Oh nice, you didn't freeze my skin off."

Loki groaned. It was so... so like the Doctor.

The freezing wind felt sinfully good on Lokis skin, when they watched the martian aircraft leave the midgardian sky.

"Doctor?"

"Yes Loki."

"Where's the tardis?"

"Ah."

….

"Well, you see. I've been tinkering and well, I didn't mean to activate the HAHS, but.."

"Where is it?"

"Apparently the south pole." The Doctor answered, while staring at his whirring screwdriver.

"Thats on the opposite side of the world isn't it?"

"I'm sure that these nice people can give us a lift."

 

"Well, you definetly are a brave young man."

"Don't call me young man, professor."

"shouting on the face of an martian ice warrior like that. Not many boys would do that."

"i think I prefer the young man."

"About the things you said back there..."

"I didn't do it."

"I suspected as much."

"Why?"

"just a hunch. An old mans hunch. And for the record, I must say, that I happen to be very pleased to have met you alien boy.

"Don't call me boy. But for the record, I am glad to have met you too professor..."

"Romanoff. Professor Romanoff."

 

Journey from the other end of the pole, to the other, in a small submarine, was not over very quickly or pleasantly. Admittely, it was going much more pleasantly than it could have gone, for one, no one was now actively trying to kill them. That being said, It was also extremingly boring. Also now that the threath of dying an horrible acognising death was no longer hanging over them, Loki was viciously reminded by his body that he had been injured in various places. Professor Romanoff and the Doctor did their best in treating on Lokis injuries, but there was no magical cure. He just needed to let his body heal. Even his healing was so much slower without his magic. His magic had been there for him all of his life, now that it was gone, his body didn't seem to know what to do. Not to forget that he was in his true jotun form that seemed so unfamiliar and alien to him. The healing procress was in no way pleasant.

Despite all that, Loki was not as miserable as one would have thought. Professor Romanoff had become a something akin to a friend to Loki, who had started to ask guestions to make idle converstations with the older man. Professor Romanoff was intelligent and posessed a wicked sense of humor. He was also more than happy to tell Loki of his planet and was of course also very curious of Lokis own home and sometimes Loki would even answer the professors guestions. Proffesor Romanoff luckily did not press for the answers too much.

And sometimes when Loki couldn't sleep, he would sit alone in the dark corridors, listening to the humming of the engines. And some how most of these nights, professor Romanoff ended up accidentlly working somewhere near, and singing the song of the hungry wolves, lulling Loki into a sense of peace.

The athmosphere might have been pleasant in the ship, making the days nice enough, but the nights weren't as easy. In the darkness Loki would lie awake, hearing the voices ringing in his ears, as they were being uttered right next to him.

"you can't kill off an entire race!"

"the frost giants are monsters!"

"You can't destroy an entire planet!"

"Loki, no"

and the Loki would have to spring up and start his restless roaming. Sometimes he would catch a glimbse of his blue skin and red eyes in some reflection and he would shudder.

 

"Talk to me Loki."

ah, the Doctor. Of course. But Loki couldn't comply.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"because I can't."

"Please Loki, as your friend I am begging you-"

"And that is why I can't tell you. Because you are my friend."

"Loki I won't leave. I promise-"

"Don't promise."

"Whatever it is, I will-"

"No. Please leave me alone."

 

and the Doctor complied, and somehow, even if the Doctor had done exactly as Loki had asked of him, Loki felt hopeless.

And nothing changed. At days they would laugh and joke together. The humans would teach Loki to play card games. Loki would become the king of the pokernight, only to be robbed the title when the Doctor joined them, and proved himself to be even better cheater than Loki. Lokis injuries would slowly start to dissappear and professor Romanoff would start surprising Loki with the little snippets of knowledge of asgard that he had picked up from Loki and the Doctor.

 

"Tell him"

"He will hate me"

"He won't"

"I tried to destroy jotunheim."

"Tell me."

"What is there to tell?"

"Everything."

"I..."

"I will listen."

…

"It all started with Thors coronation..."

 

"Its okay, its okay"

"no it's-I...I'm a monster."

"you are not. No! Look at me. .Not. . Never that Loki. Never. Jotunheim still stands. What you tried to do was wrong. So so wrong, but you were lucky. You were incredibly lucky and the universe saved you from a guilt you cannot imagine. You made some wrong turns, but you are not a monster. You are clever and you have much more good in you than you even know. Do you know who stopped Skaldaks claw from pushing that button. Do you know who saved Akhaten and all of its seven systems from being devoured. Do you know who risked himself to drive the chitauri away from earth. You Loki. You are important Loki, don't forget that."

"Doctor...Do they...Do the frost giants have songs that they sing to their loved ones?"

"Yes. Yes they do. They sing just like all the other creatures capable of love in this universe."

"and you know what. I think that we should go to listen to their songs."


	11. jotunheim part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki experiences some cultural shocks, but is there something lurking in the shadows

JOTUNHEIM

the books rusteled in their crate. They waited in the darkness.

 

"Ta-dah!"

The Doctor spread his hands over his head in a gleefull show of excitement for introducing a new planet to his companion.

The companion was not so impressed for various reasons.

One: this was not a new planet to him, he had been here before.

Two: the scenery was bleak, white vastness.

Three: The Doctor looked ridiculous when doing that.

Four: Loki hated Jotunheim.

All of those reasons sneaked their way into Lokis face, creating a frown on his lips, wrinkless on his brow and doubt in his eyes. In his blood red eyes.

"Oh c'mon Loki. You could at least pretend to be excited!"

"Shouldn't you be dressed a little better, if you really want to explore the realm?" Said Loki, deadpan and maybe even little in hopes that The Doctor would just say: "Nope, in hindsight, this was a horrible idea. Lets just go back to tardis and get as far away from Jotunheim as possible."

Of course The Doctor said nothing like that. Instead he just grinned at Loki and flailed his arms even more enthusiacly. Apparently he lived in a delusion that he could change Lokis mood just by the power which he used to make his grand gestures.

"Oi. I last cold much better than you would think." Which was of course utter rubbish and was proved when an icy gust of wind ruffeled both of their hairs and made The Doctor wrap his shivering arms around himself.

"Okay, maybe a jacket wouldn't be such a bad idea." he muttered, bravely not clattering his teeth and stomped back inside the tardis. "But just to ease your mind, I'll have you know. You smug blue one."

while the Doctor dissappeared somewhere inside the tardis to find the proper clothing, Loki glanced again at his blue skin. Having been forced to spend all his time, since landing in the submarine, in his jotun form, Loki had almost gotten used to it. He no longer flinched when seeing his reflection and had even teached himself to controll the ice forming techniques. The Doctor had found that out when all of the levers in the tardis had been frozen in place. Also the pool.

It had gotten even funnier when the tardis had refused to defroze anything.

"It is because you two are the same colour." the Doctor had grumbled.

Now, standing once again on the soil of his native planet, Loki felt the old crawling in his skin.

Loki tried to will the feeling away. He had promised the Doctor that he would try. He had argued and complained all the way to the decision, but in the end he had promised to try.

The Doctor made his precence, once again, known by clapping a hand over Lokis shoulder.

"C'mon then. Lets go, no time to waste standing here."

glancing at the Doctor told Loki that no, his fashion sense had not gotten any better. The huge puffy anorac was crime against anyone who had eyes.

 

"We should turn back."

"We've been walking for two minutes. Lets not give up that easily. The snow isn't even that deep."

"I'm serious. What if someone recognises me."

"Believe me, they won't."

"They might. And what about Heimdall. What if he sees me?"

"He won't see you. He hasn't even been born yet."

"He- We are in the past?"

"Give me some credit. I might be a madman, but I'm a brilliant one. I wouldn't put us intentionally on harms way."

"And they call me a liar!"

"I put pressure on the word intentionally."

"How much in the past are we."

"Enough. Before Odin or Laufey or the war. We are going to see Jotunheims glory days."

The idea of Jotunheims glory days seemed so...unreal. Jotunheim had always been the broken realm, freezing, dark, desolate. The realm of monsters. Loki had never thought about what Jotunheim had been like before the war. Lokis imagination provided him with pictures of savage monsters swarming about in huge crowds, stalking the grounds, waiting for something to kill. Fighting even amongst themselves and looking at Asgard with hungry eyes. Loki crushed the disturbing images. He had been travelling with the Doctor for long enough to know that the Doctor would not approve of such thoughts. All his sass aside, Loki trusted the Doctor enough to believe that the time lord would not take Loki to a place that could hold nothing but terrors.

"Have you been in Jotunheim before?"

"On a very fleeting visit. I've known my fair share of jotuns, but the actual planet, well, not as much as I would have liked to. I've been busy."

"You have met jotuns outside of Jotunheim?"

"well, the space isn't always going to be so empty. The earth federation was always quite accepting of immigrants, well at least before the empire was formed and then of course the six united realms was formed long before earth even expanded around it's own solar system...And I should just shut up. Spoilers you know."

"The six united-"

"Spoilers."

"An earth empire?"

"Spoilers."

Their talk was interrupted by a sound of clashing and hacking coming from the distance.

Huh. So they weren't alone anymore. Loki stiffened and could feel his battle senses take over.

The Doctor, not even posessing anything close to a battle alertness, took off running towards the sound.

Loki had no other option than to follow the Doctor, who had found himself facing a great icy wall, towering far over their heads. An ice mountain, with ragged cliffs and zigzagging edges.

And a great boulder, rumbling down-

A boulder!

Loki snatched the Doctor by the scruff of his neck and forcefully yanked him backwards. The Doctor flied for good few meters, before landing in a puff of snow. Loki threw himself sideways before the huge chunk of ice could land on top of him and make the visit much more short than was desirable.

Quickly rolling back to his feet, Loki assested the situation, and saw them.

Two figures came to peer over the cliff on the mountainside. They were huge. Loki had seen frost giants, battled frost giants before, but in all honesty these were two of the biggest frost giants Loki had ever seen. They were tall and board. Their ripped muscles had muscles on them, the bald heads were kept on their shoulders by necks the widht of tree trunks, the deep markings seemed to just higlight the fierce faces and blazing red eyes that were staring at the two of them down there, with scary intesity. The worst of all, they were both holding the biggest weapons Loki had ever seen in his life. The long axe-like blades glinted in the cold light, towering over even the giants heads.

Then They started coming down.

Loki rushed over where the Doctor was starting to get himself upright again. They had to run. They had to run faster than they had ever ran before.

But the frost giants were incredebly agile for their huge size and seemed to be used to moving on the mountainsides, for they slid and climbed effortlessly down in a series of comfrotable, but agile movements. With a settling dread, Loki knew that they couldn't outrun them. Not in their own enviroment.

Loki threw the Doctor back down in the snow and adopted an protective stance over his friend. He wouldn't go down without a fight.

The frost giants had already ended their descend and were running towards them, mouths opened in a war cry, yelling-

"Are you allright!"

-wait what?

"We're so sorry! We swear we didn't see the boulder getting loose before it was too late. And we didn't even know that you two were down there. We are so so sorry!"

what?

"Oh that's allright!"

Loki reflecsively pushed the Doctor straight back face first into the snow. The Doctor let out a very undignified shriek.

Loki didn't spare the Doctor even a glance as he kept staring at the two giants towering over them.

"This has never happened before, there were propably bubbless in the ice, we had no idea it would get out of our control, are you hurt? What about your friend?

"I'm fine!"

This time Loki swiftly kicked the Doctor with his foot, to prevent The Doctor rising from his position behind Lokis protection.

"Umf! Loki! Stop doing that!"

Loki couldn't move. Couldn't even blink, he was frozen in some kind of mix of determination and terror.

"Are you okay?" asked the other giant, this time more slowly and there seemed to be even some confusion and variness in his voice. Not that any of it eased Loki in any way. He was still coiled tight, ready to burst into suicidall action.

"For Rassilons sake Loki! They're not going to harm us! Now if you kick me down again I will not be held responsible for my actions!"

Loki said nothing.

The frost giants looked at each other in confusion and a tiny bit off hurt, like the whole idea of them being a threath was totally alien to them. "We are sorry. We truly are, it was an accident. You have to believe us."

"Don't worry! Of course we believe you." The Doctor had finaly gotten to his feet without being kicked back and had wrapped a comforting arm around Lokis shoulders. Or maybe he was just making sure that if Loki decided to slam him back down again, he would be forced to go down with the Doctor.

"No worries here. We're all friends around here, right Loki?"

Loki said nothing.

"Right. Glad you agree. Okay, introducions. I'm the Doctor and this is my slightly socially akward friend Loki. Hello! Say hello Loki. No? Don't mind him, that intense slightly glassy stare he is giving you, that is his way of saying hi."

The two giants blinked, falling to the universal confusion that was meeting the Doctor for the first time.

"Baula. And this is Jorna. We were collecting ice and the boulder got out of our hands..."

"Don't worry, nobody got hurt. It happens."

"We are glad that you are unhurt. What a horrible way to greet a foreigner. May I ask, what were you two doing here in the middle of nowhere anyway. This is not a place I would have expected to meet an outworlder."

"Ah. That, well, you see our transport was little peculiar, It is not really one for the main roads, so to speak."

"Are you heading for the palace of the ancient winters, by any change."

"Why yes we are. That is exactly where we were going. Smart chap."

Loki felt like he had entered some kind of bizarre dream. He had been about to be attacked by the frost giants and suddenly everything had stopped making sense. There the Doctor was chatting with the giants and slapping one of them on the back (as high as he could reach) like they had been friends for ages.

"Loki." the Doctor asked. And Loki snapped his attention to the Doctor. He was still in his hyperaware battle mood and everything seemed so sharp and bright around him.

"Are you sure that you're not hurt?" asked the other frost giant, reaching with his huge hand for Loki. Loki jumped away from the hand and snarled.

"Loki" came the Doctors chastising voice from some way ahead.

The face of the frost giant stopped Loki in his tracks. There was genuine hurt in those eyes.

Then the Doctor was there, grapping Loki by the wrist and dragging him forward.

"Don't worry about him. He's had had a rough week. Or more like a month. Or a lifetime...Anyway, Give him a bit time, I assure you he'll be great company then."

the frost giants looked at each other again, shrugged and resumed walking.

"Wait, what about your...axes. Or the ice that you were collecting. You sure that you can just leave it?"

"We will come back for our equipment later. Now we will make sure that you make it safely to the palace."

"Oh. Thank you then."

"Which realm are you from then, Doctor. By appearance we would have guessed Asgard but..."

"But you don't think that I'm from there."

"Were sorry if we were mistaken, but no."

"You're right, I'm not from Asgard."

"He is Midgardian." said Loki, who had gathered himself somewhat and was in controll of himself enough to be vary.

"Midgard? We thought..."

"You thought wrong." Loki snapped.

"Yes yes, Earth, lovely place. It's a long story, quite boring actually, you wouldn't want to hear it anyway. Now, tell us a little more about yourself, who are you? what do you do?"

"Well, we are the grand sculptors of the palace of ancient winters. Quite well known all around Jotunheim, if I do say so myself. I started out very small. Did some ice carvings for a hobby. Was studying the law at the time. Then I met Jorna. He saved me from the dry writings." There the frost giant (Baula he had given his name) stopped his tale and shared a fond look with the other giant. (Jorna, He had been called Jorna) their fond look transformed into something softer when Jorna extended his head and Baula responded by touching his forehead to Jornas. They halted momentarily to rub the ridges on their forehead together and even Loki, prejudged as he was at the moment, could see the utter tenderness of the gesture.

The happy pair broke apart and Baula continued telling his story to the beaming Doctor.

"Jorna was a mad genious. Had utter devoution for art. When we met, he sparked my love for beautiful art in its fullest. I gave up on my law studies and started travelling with Jorna. Together we practiced our craft as sculptors and found that we made our best works when we worked together. Jorna has the most creative soul that I have ever seen. He has visions like no other. I prefer the small details myself. Together we create masterpieces."

"We started to gain name in the right circles. Even the more important jotuns started to request sculptings from us. The years spent honing our skills had paid off."

"And then one day even the palace of ancient winters send word for us. They asked for us to come to work for repairs of some of the most ancient works of art on whole of Jotunheim."

"I remember that." Jorna interrupted. "I thought you were having a laugh at me when you first told about it. You had to show me the pergament, before I even started thinking that you could be serious."

"And then you started sobbing when you realised that it was real."

"Shush, don't tell the new people that."

"We're married, it is my job to embarass you every given change."

"Oh so that's why you married me."

"I married you because I love you. Sobbing and all."

the two touched foreheads again briefly, without breaking their steps. It seemed that they had had lots of practice with the move.

"Anyway, we arrived at the palace, worked, met the people, got comfrotable and then we just never left."

"Best decision of our lives. The palace has been a perfect place to practice our craft. "

"What is the palace of ancient winters?" asked Loki. The walking and the non threathening manners of the frost giants had calmed him down. He was even starting to get curious. This wasn't a bizarre dream. He truly was in Jotunheim, listening to a pair of most muscular and scary looking frost giants he had ever seen, talk about art and throw loving gazes at each other.

And he had promised to the Doctor that he would try. Again it seemed that the Doctor had been right. Maybe he wouldn't have to try so hard afterall.

"The palace of ancient winters? See for yourself."

and Loki did. They had arrived on foot of a valley and on the bottom of the valley Loki could see the most beautifull building he had ever laid eyes upon, and growing up on Asgard, that was saying something.

Entirely build from ice, the palace was huge. Tall curving towers and archways seemed to defy the laws of physichs alltogether. Most of the walls seemed to be crystal clear, expect where some complicated patterns were adorning them. It wasn't as much of a building as it was an piece of art itself, but still it did not loose its practical look.

"Welcome to the palace of ancient winters. The heart of jotunheim, and the center of art, science, philosophy and magic.

The palace was even more impressive on the inside. The first hall that they stepped into, through an gateway that had no closable doors, was massive. The Ceiling was so high that at first loki though that there was no ceiling at all, before he noticed the snow that had piled into the edges of the clear see through ice that was the ceiling.

The hall was round in shape, with several other doorways leading deeper into the building and guarding the gateways were many big, beautifully carved statues. Frost giants were walking about, looking very small under the huge pillars and archways.

The gateway leading into the hall, that they had just passed, was guarded either side by two massive birdlike creatures. Every feather was detailed and the position of the birds, wings spread wide, balancing on one foot only, seemed to be impossible for the statues to maintain without falling over, but there they stood.

Jorna noticed Loki studying the gatekeeper birds and leaned close to whisper: "We made those just a year ago. Thought that the main gate could use some guardians as well. Gives the first hall some balance."

"Really? Does it use some kind of magic to maintain the balance?"

"Heh, this is not the first time someone has asked. No, just skills and some special techniques."

"Impressive."

And Loki meant it. When Loki had in his earlier life thought about Jotunheim, he had never in his wildest dreams thought that Jotunheim could even have anything akin to art, but these works of arts that were being showcased in here were something that even Asgard would be jealous off. Lokis world view concerning Jotunheim was being shattered everytime he took a look around. Loki could still remember the scorn he had used when talking about Jotunheims "glory days" when he had still tought himself as Asgards crown prince. Now he could see that the glory days were called that for a reason.

"We have to alert-"

there were voices coming from the doorway nearest their little group

"its been just half a day-"

Three frost giants hurried through the gate, drawing Lokis and everyone elses attenttion to them, by breaking the silence that had laid over the hall. While everyone else had been using a low voice, while speaking on the echoing hall, these tree had forgotten to keep their voices down.

"When has he ever left his precious runes for more than-"

"This is overreacting-"

"I'm not overreacting, I'm telling you, this is weird-"

Two of the newcomers were frost giants the likes that Loki had gotten used to seeing. Big, strong, muscly. Expect that both of them were wearing some manner of decorative robes and had even a long braid of hair producing from the top of their heads. They were walking on a brisk pace and having an heated discussion with the third member of their party, that was currently jogging backwards in front of the two and because of that having his back turned to Loki.

This jotun was nothing like Loki had ever seen before. Firstly, he was small, about the size of Loki and the Doctor, opposed to the normal size of a frost giant. Secondly he had a thick mob of fiery red hair that swayed over his back as he moved.

"Angerboda!"

It was Jorna (Or Baula, Loki wasn't sure) calling at the newcomers. The two frost giants seemed to know the new people in the room and started walking towards them. More out of habit than anything else, Loki followed with them and of course the Doctor was always eager to meet new people.

So thats why loki ended up being close enough for the small red headed jotun for the next thing to happen.

Jorna started speaking again: "Hey, Angerboda. We-"

The small jotun still hadn't turned around enough to see the company with Jorna, when he too started speaking: "Don't you think that I have forgotten about yesterday, I just have another problem-"

And elbowed Loki straight into the face. Hard.

 

"I'm so sorry!"

"Yes You've said that allready."

"But I am though."

"Taking me to see the healers was really not necessery."

"I swear this is not how we usually treat guests."

"Let me see, let me just check on-"

"Doctor! Get that thing off my face. I'm not a cabinet for you to build!"

"Rude! How many times have I saved you? Even more importantly, how many times has the sonic saved you?!"

"You might want to check other parts than the face too. We kind of, accidently, might have tried to crush them with an ice boulder..."

"How in the Ymirs sake-"

"Everybody step back!" Loki had had enough of being suffocated.

Surprisingly, they did. Both Jorna and Baula, who had mastered the art of the suffocating hovering, the Doctor, who was still waving the screwdriver alarmingly close to Lokis face, the healer that had been doing a basic checkup with an air of deep suffering(and annoyance towards the loud entourance) and Angerboda, whose long red hair tumbled over his dark blue shoulders and whose face was animated with both worry and embarassament.

Loki found his eyes drawn back again and again to the odd jotun that was Angerboda. Angerboda had the most delicate features that Loki had ever seen on a frost giant. They were very feminine and the long rich hair completed the image.

Of course Loki had long ago learned that the frost giants did not have genders in the traditional sense. After a very spectacular meltdown in the tardis bathroom, Loki had discovered his own new jotun form to not only be a colour change.

The Doctor had told Loki that the jotun language did not even have gender pronouns, but the translation circuit of the time lords(and asgardians) translated them all into "he" and "him." Jotuns themselves were not even aware that the distinction existed in the aesir language.

Knowing all that, Loki had assumed that feminine Jotuns did not exist.

Standing in front of him was an example to the contrary. Angerboda would have passed as a woman for his face. Of course he lacked breasts of any kind, as propably did his whole race, but his voice was much higher than Lokis own. Angerboda was very lively when he spoke, all his emotions were easily seen from his face. He was so out of anything Loki could have ever expected to find in Jotunheim, that Loki found himself staring.

Angerboda was also the fastest talker Loki had ever met.

"I know that this sounds like the worst excuse in the whole planet, but I'm just used to being the only dwarf around. I really thought that it was Jorna behind me. It's just such a reflex to always be the smallest and weakest, so you don't even care and...and I sound like a such an idiot. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Truly, it just a small bruise."

"It doesn't look that small."

"It doesn't even feel bad, now let it go. Besides I've been through worse, believe me."

"He's right, you know. He has been through worse" added the Doctor helpfully.

"See, even he thinks I'm fine."

"Allright, allright. Guld, you are free to go. Our patient says that hes fine." Angerboda finally caved in.

The healer rolled his eyes and left, muttering under his breath:"I could have told you that..."

Angerboda seemed to calm down with that and turned to Baula and Jorna, who were holding hands again. It seemed that the huge couple were incapable of keeping their hands seperate for moments longer than minutes.

"So where exactly did you find them?"

"They were just walking near the Freljors pass. They say that they came looking for the palace."

Now Angerboda turned to face the two starngers. "Where did you come from to end up walking on Freljors pass?"

The Doctor and Loki glanced at each other and then shrugged.

"We got a bit lost."

Angerboda scrunched his face a bit, but then let the topic go.

"Well, you have found it now. I am Angerboda, one of the keepers of the palace and a ward to the grandmaester himself. I will assist you in anyway I can, as is my duty."

"And not at all because you assaulted me?" Loki couldn't resist asking, a sly grin on his face. Angerboda scrunched his nose again. "It is my duty to assist and guide the visitors."

Then he grinned and added: "And maybe a little bit because I have an opportunity to talk to people wihout getting neck cramps."

"So Angerboda, how about you take us for a tour?" the Doctor said, already bouncing in anticapation.

 

The more rooms and snaking halways Angerboda let them through, the more impressed Loki got. When Angerboda had started with the artistic galleries, Loki had been intrigued, followed by surprised. There were breathtaking ice sculptures, some of them ancient, some of them much newer, but all done with mastery. Most of them did not seem to obey the laws of gravity, many of them were so detailed that you could have believed them to leap from their pedestals and move around. Some of them did move around, courtesy of the genious use of gravity and clockworks, most impressive of them being the model of the universe, not the yggdrasill shape that Loki had grown used to, but spinning disks upon disks, orbited by spinnig hoops, and the nine realms represented by snowfalkes spinning within the disks.

"Every world is no more than a flake, spinning in the storm of the universe, small and fragile, but always unique." read in the plate next to the model.

Unlike the clear artworks of the main hall, almost all of the works presented in these halls were colorfull, some kind of paint mixed with the ice to create three dimensional paintings and give new shapes and deepness to the ice works.

The Doctor had turned into a exited five year old very quickly and his innocent glee had infected Angerboda who was now talking mile a minute and dragging them through doors and corridors.

The history showcases were uncountable and loki was bombared with so much historical knowledge, that half of it flied straight over his head.

"And this is an actual authentic kannel of Trumir the singer. Can you believe that?"

Lokis blank stare seemed to be a wrong answer as Angerboda scrunched his nose again in confusion. "You don't know...Trumir?"

"He hasn't really gotten the traditional jotunheimian upbringing." the Doctor injected, before things could get awkward. "Thats why were here. He wants to know his roots better."

"Truly. How extraordinary. Usually the children living off realm get even more traditionall upbringing than most. The ambassadors and merchants are knowably patriotic when travelling. Oh well. If you want to know our home better, you have certainly come to the right place. Were you raised in Midgard?"

Loki was already preparing a fast lie, but the Doctor beat him to it.

"Actually Asgard. I'm just a tagalong friend."

"Asgard...Well that would explain the clothes then. And I'm sorry that you had to leave the realm. Believe me you are not the only one affected by the recent news...Oh lets not talk about politics, this is turning out to be too pleasant evening for that. C'mon then, I'll give you some brief history!"

The arrow now dodged, Loki let himself again be led by Angerboda, who was trying to fit several ages of history into a few minutes of talk. By listening Angerboda babble he also missed the troubling look that had setteled on the Doctors face when Angerboda had mentioned the political troubles.

"-and after the tribal wars of the north, Bustla the blessed united the north into a one great kingdom, which was the stepping stone for One handed Eilsa to unit the realm under one banner. The first dynasty of the royals didn't last more than two generations, before they were usurped by the-"

there were ancient weapons, frozen inside crystal clear blocks of ice, preserved in display. Weapons and clothes and jewels from all over jotunheim. From the thousand lost tribes of the north, from the sea lords of the ever moving islands. From everywhere Loki hadn't even known existed.

"-But then the throne was given to the holy moondancer as a gift from gods. He ended the war but as a cost, the whole penninsula was lost and with the penninsula, all the monasteries of the moondancers were destroyed too-"

How had none of this rich history and culture never reached the books of the asgardians?

In the halls of science were samples of every single animal and plant found on Jotunheim. At least that was what Angerboda kept telling them, and Loki truly had no context to judge one way or the other, expect that there were lots of ice cases holding some frozen animal or plant.

"Of course we only keep the main ones in the halls, most of the samples are locked away in the cellars, but you should see the archives in there. One time a scientist came here trying to find one particular, now extinct, fish bone. He spent a month in the catacombs going through the shelves."

"Did he ever get out, or is he now a sample himself?"

Angerboda laughed very easily and freely. "No. At least I hope not. I wont make a promise of the interns doing the yearly inventary though."

They were being surrounded by the frozen plants (that apparently did exist even in the frozen world of Jotunheim. They were pretty weird though) when they were approached by a jotun who waved Angerboda aside and had a shushed discussion with him. Whatever they were talking about wasn't anything good, as the easy smile left Angerbodas face and his posture became much more stiff.

Finaly Angerboda waved the messenger away and joined again the Doctor and Loki, easy smile firmly fixed on his face.

"Well, lets go see our magical wing then."

"Is everything alright?" asked the Doctor. Always the one sniffing out trouble.

"Yes of course."Angerboda answered, just a touch too chirpily.

"You're lying." the Doctor persisted.

Then Angerboda surprised even Loki by looking sharply at the two of them "Well, I'm not the only one." He pointed his finger at Loki. "You, I do not know who you are, but you aren't from Asgard. Otherwise you would have noticed that I left out the jotun-aesir alliance in the time of the black moons." Then he pointed at the Doctor, "And you aren't even of the species you claim to be."

"So you figured out that I'm not human. Impressive, what gave it away?" The Doctor sounded more curious and even a hint of proud, like he was happy that this little jotnar had been smart enough to catch their lies.

"You have spent hours in our temperatures with head and hands bare and yet you aren't even cold. Also, you're breath doesn't mist, like it should for a human. I would know, I have given this same tour to human visitors before."

"You have let mortals into your realm?"

"mortals? Of course, our halls are open for everyone seeking for knowledge. Esja Agnardottir was wise and curious. Was extremenly interested on our magical technniques. Quite respected witch in her home area. Or Völva as they call themselves in there. I quite liked her. There have been some others of course, but she was the only one I have had direct contact with. But now you are just dodging the question. Doctor. Who are you?"

"just the Doctor. Settle with that."

"Doctor who?"

"Exactly."

"We mean you no harm." Loki started diplomaticly. It bothered him surprisingly much that Angerboda might throw them out. Hadn't it been just few hours ago that he hadn't wanted to have anything to do with Jotunheim. "It's complicated, but we both swear to you, that we mean you or your friends no harm."

"We might even be able to help. You'd be surprised at how helpfull we can be in tight places." the Doctor continued flawlessly where Loki had stopped.

Angerboda gave them both bemused but still pondering gaze.

"Angerboda you cannot be serious!" exclaimed one of the messengers, glowering at the newcomers.

"After everything that has happened, you are going to let some shady outworlders just stroll around the palace."

"They are not just strolling around the palace." snapped Angerboda. "I have been watching them since they arrived. Or do you take me for a utter fool. Since the last incident happened while we were studying the seal bones on the science hall, I wouldn't be so very quick to start blaming them. Unless you think I am too incompetent to watch over two persons at the same time."

The glowering frost giant didnt say anything under Angerbodas fierce eyes, but didn't back down either.

"Now, where did the last attack take place?"

"In the lighting chamber."

"Fine. Allright, we'll head there. You two" Angerboda said, pointing at the Doctor and Loki, "stay closely in my sight all the time. I really do hope that you have nothing to do with these attacks, but unfortunately, I cannot know that."

Compared to the grandeur of the other rooms that Loki had seen of the palace, the lighting chamber was small and plain. There were no decorations or or even furniture in the small room, expect for the raised table in the middle, holding a small flame.

Loki knew instantly that he had arrived at the one of the power centres of the place. The flame was small, but there was nothing feeding it and it burned with stability that was never seen in natural fires. Also the shadows that the small flame cast dancing on the walls were bigger and moved more than it would have been possible for natural fire-cast shadows.

But the shadows weren't the only thing misplacen in the room. While the shadows were easily explained by the high gatherings of magic in the air, the skeleton lying on the ground was not.

"No..." was whispered by the Doctor, the Doctor who felt the pain of every death, no matter that he hadn't the slightest clue as to who it was that was lying as a skeleton on the floor.

Angerbodas steady gase told Loki that this was not first time that misplaced skeleton was found on the permises.

"You said that the attack took place just few minutes ago." the Doctor enquired, slight dread on his voice.

"That is none of your bussines." stated the other, bald frost giant harshly, while the other large frost giant, with short braided hair, kept fidgeting anxiosly and tried not to look at the skeleton. "You know, I should be at the choir practice right now and you are with Angerboda now so..."

"Forget about your choir! That person got turned into a skeleton inside our palace!"

"You know how I feel about magic..."

"When was he found?!" Angerboda snapped, killing the starting squable between the jotuns on its roots.

"Skari found him when he was looking for Huldar. He immediately came to alert me and I immediatly came to you. Maybe fifteen minutes ago."

"Do you have any idea who he is, or how long he has been here?"

"I think..." started the nervous looking frost giant named Skari. "I think that's Huldar. He said that he was just going to check on the flame before practice...It must have been some very powerfull magic..." The frost giant let the sentence die, like even the idea of magic that strong scared him too much to even talk about.

But there were no traces of agressive magic. Actually there were no traces of any magic whatsoever, expect for the low warm magical hum of the flame. But attack, no matter what kind, that could rob the flesh from your bones, should leave traces in the body. The idea, that not only had he lost his ability to use, but to also sense magic, made Lokis stomach knot. He would have prefered to turn blind.

"No. There are no traces of magic of any kind in the body." assured Angerbodas voice, from where the little jotun was kneeling before the bones.

"I think." Started the Doctor. "That we should all leave. NOW"

"There is no unfamiliar magic in here, we are safe for..."

"NOW" yelled the Doctor, nearing panic and actually grapped Angerbodas elbow to haul him up. It turned out to be very bad idea as Angerbodas natural insticts kicked off and freezed Doctors hand. The Doctor yelped and brought his hurt fingers protectively to his chest. "It is not magic that has killed here! It is-"

there was a faint vacuum sound and then a clattering noise. They all turned around to see a second skeleton lying on the floor.

Skari screamed.

Angerboda and Loki stared.

"-vasthra nerada" the Doctor finished his sentence.


	12. Jotunheim part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> monsters go and monsters come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, it took me four world wars to update, but the story is not abandoned.

Are they really as deadly as you would have us believe.  
More deadly.  
But you were able to defeat them.  
No, not defeat, distract long enough to run. There is a world of difference in there.  
And how did you manage that.  
Well...

 

”OUT! Everybody out!” Angerboda yelled. The two skeletons laid on the ground, for all the world like they would have always been there, but they hadn't. Just seconds ago, that skeleton had been living, breathing frost giant, and Loki hadn't the slightest clue how.   
Travelling with the Doctor. Overrated really.  
Loki would have run, he would have gladly ran all the way back to the Tardis and left this Norn-forsaken excuse of a planet behind him, if it wasn’t for the unnatural darkness waiting just behind the open door.  
When they had arrived, the hallway had been not exactly bright, but not dark either, being naturally lighted by faint sunlight shining through the ice ceiling.  
Now the same hallway was pitch black.  
”We are not going in there” Loki voiced his thoughts.  
”No. Definitely not.” affirmed the doctor. ”Everyone, back slowly towards the flame, at any point do not DO NOT touch any shadows.”  
”What just happened and what do you know?” asked Angerboda, slowly backing towards the centre of the room. She sounded calm, collected, and professional. A leader taking charge in an unknown situation.  
”They are called the Vasthra Nerada. They are one of the most dangerous predators in the universe. A living sentient shadows. Impossible to kill or run away from. And I have met them before.”

 

If you have met them before and survived...  
I had help. The help didn't survive.

 

”Then we are going to die!” Gasped Skari.   
”No, of course not. We just- we'll find a way. Don't worry. It'll be alright.” The Doctor tried to sound reassuring. ”Just, everybody stay calm.”  
”Tell us about them, Doctor. All you know. There have already been three kills like this inside our home in the last week, we will not join the list. Doctor, talk.”  
Angerbodas voice was calm, and steady, and commanding. This was a voice that could have claimed respect even in the halls of the aesir, no even in the court of Odin himself. There were monsters lurking in the shadows, unseen, unheard, waiting to kill, and they were trapped like animals waiting to be devoured. Despite all this, Angerboda managed to sound like a royal.  
If Loki wasn't in an immediate danger to be devoured by a sentient shadow, he might have examined the feelings that Angerbodas voice was making him feel little more closely.  
But he was in an immediate danger to be devoured by a sentient shadow, and therefore all his attention was on the fact that the shadows near the entrance were twisting and moving  
”They are intelligent, in a sense. They can plan and create traps-”  
”Tell us something we don’t know, Loki huffed”  
”-they are unkillable, for all I know. Nobody really knows that much about them, as those that have contact with the Vasthra Nerada, don't live that long...they stalk they're prey. Either they wait in the darkness for you to be separated from your peers, and then take you, or they can attach themselves to you and wait. That is why the most important thing to do right now is-“  
Loki looked at his feet. That wasn't natural, was it?  
”-to count the shadows. Loki, don't move.”

 

Usually when the Vasthra Nerada has attached themselves to their chosen prey, there is no way to run anymore. But, as we found out, there was something that could make the Vasthra Nerada back down.

 

”Doctor! What do I do!?”  
”Don't panic!”  
”I'm not, now tell me something useful!”  
”Doctor. They are shadows right?” Angerboda, as calm as ever, contrasting to Skaris silent sobs on the background. ”Do they fear light?”  
”Well-”  
”No time, for wells, Loki close your eyes and don't breath.”  
In any other circumstance Loki would have questioned Angerboda, but Angerbodas tone left no room for questions. So Loki closed his eyes and drew a long breath in. There was maybe two seconds of utter silence and then there was the heat. Scorching, blistering heat and the smell of flames, just hairlenght away from his skin. There was the roaring voice of fire and the so very familiar pulse of fire-magic. Elemental magic had never been very strong with Loki, but even he could tell, that this was some impressive spell work.   
Loki didn't have time to open his eyes, before there was the familiar hand of the Doctor graping his elbow and dragging him along.  
”Out! Out!! Everybody out now!!”  
The darkness had disappeared from the doorway, leaving them a path out. Loki didn't hesitate in dashing away, away from the stifling chamber. Angerboda was right beside him, running with his fiery red hair flying behind him and the red eyes intensely searching Loki.  
”Are you okay?”  
”Of course, aside from the fact that you just decided to set me on fire.”  
”Oh don't complain. I thought you might prefer to be burned to death rather than feed the monsters.”  
”Well aren't you just thoughtful”  
Angerboda laughed, a relieved, musical laugh, while their little group slid into a stop in the middle of a busy hallway. There were baffled frost giants all around them, carrying different kinds of musical instruments, and all staring at the hysteric group that had just raced to them.  
”I hate you all,” Loki muttered and Angerboda just laughed harder.

 

”And?”  
”And then we came here to talk to you.”  
”Angerboda.”   
”Yes master Hurvi.”  
”Come here.”   
Angerboda took few cautious steps towards the leader of the great council, halfway there, the master took last steps towards Angerboda to kill the distance between them, and gathered the tiny jotun in an all-composing bear hug.  
”My reckless little child. Why didn't you come to us in the first place, instead of going to investigate on your own?”  
”I'm not a baby anymore. I can take care of myself.” Angerboda answered, but his complaint was greatly lessened by the fact that his voice was being muffled for being pressed into master Hurvis robes.  
Finally, angerboda was freed from the clutches of suffocating parental affection, and master Hurvi changed his attention towards the other three storytellers.  
I thank you, for taking care of my child.  
”Well...” the Doctor started,”Angerboda saved all of our lives, but we appreciate your gratitude anyway.”  
Master Hurvi graced them all with a smile and a little bow, before sitting down again.  
”But if what you tell us of these creatures is true, then everyone in the palace is in danger. Tell us Doctor, is there anyone that can control these creatures.”  
”Control? No I wouldn't say so...”  
”Because I fear that this is no accident that they are here. You told us that on your earlier travels you met the creatures in a library. It just so happens that a greater moon ago, our palace was graced with a gift. We do not know the sender or where or how the gift came to be on our doorsteps. There were books. Old, unknown books, written on Jotunheimian runes, but in a dialect unknown to us. We took the books and studied them, but the mystery was not solved.”   
”But that would mean that someone sent the Vasthra Nerada here on purpose. Someone wanted them to be here.” Loki said.   
Master Hurvi nodded. ”Yes. Yes it does.”  
”But who would want to-?” Skari started, then seemed to remember that he was surrounded by the respectable elders of the council and snapped his mouth shut. Loki almost felt sorry for him. The poor frost giant had done nothing but fidgeted uncomfortably the whole time they had been sitting in the council chambers.  
”We do not know Skari.” The master said. ”But I fear that right at the moment we have even more pressing problem on our hands. We know what the Vasthra Nerada want, darkness.”   
”Of course! Ymir I have been so stupid,” wailed Angerboda.   
”What? What are you not telling us?”  
”The lightning chamber. The first victim was the caretaker of the lightning chambers. The next one was the runemaster. Humir got killed in the lightning chamber of the east wing. The Vasthra Nerada are targeting everyone who is a threat to the plan. They had a greater moon for learning and closing in on us. They know what’s coming.”  
”What is coming?”  
”Tonight is the moonless night. The dark night. Only once in seven suns do we have the dark night, the night when all four moons are hidden and the mountains steal even starlight from us. Without the magical icefire, that we use to light our halls, we would become utterly blind for the night. The Vasthra Nerada are going to close the lightning chambers from us and cut the connection of the palace from the icefire. What more could a shadow want?”  
”We are going to die.” Whimpered Skari. Poor Skari who just wanted to make it to his choir practice.   
”No.” Loki said. ”We survived once. Angerbodas spell drove them away. For that moment they were scared. Scared of Angerboda. Scared of fire-magic. Maybe we do have a way to fight back.”  
”Loki is right. I have never seen the Vasthra Nerada back off. They were scared. It seems that the light that you were able to create was more than just light. It was special light. It was light that the Vasthra Nerada fear. And that means that we can use it to drive them off.”   
”We do not have but hours till the sun falls. So tell me Loki, do you want to try to recreate elemental magic to a complete new form, in just few hours, and without any kind of theory to back it up.”  
”I thought you would never ask.”

Loki and Angerboda worked in a fervent haze, only hearing each other, as they bounced of ideas from each other, referencing old books scattered all over the workroom and tried to do the impossible. Loki came close to tears several times, because he was confined to work on theory only, being incapable of testing out anything, but Angerboda kept slapping his hands when ever Loki got frustrated, drawing Lokis attention back to the task at hand. ”We have no time to get angry.” He would point out and offer several rune-scrolls to Loki.  
The Doctor had been delegated to the scroll fetching duty, and bore his new duty with surprising grace. He also had Skari to help him. The sullen frost giant had been given leave to go, but Skari had shrugged and pointed out that there wouldn't be any choir practices if Angerboda and Loki failed in their mission. So Skari had taken to running between the library and Angerbodas workroom, fetching whatever the two sorcerers needed.   
In this work Lokis Asgardian upbringing turned out to be an asset. Jotunheimian magic was very elementally oriented. It worked on the principle that magic was chaos and therefore could not be controlled. It was the sorcerers’ duty to learn to work with the magic, to learn to work around the chaos and to manipulate the elements so that they would work their power in your favour.  
None of the rune circles or the wand based magic, that Loki had become so familiar with in Asgard, were used in here.   
Of course seeing that Loki couldn't use his powers and for Angerboda to learn entirely new branch of magic in such a short time was impossible, there was not much that Loki could do with his own Asgardian knowledge, but it helped the pair to think outside the box. They were both unfamiliar enough with each others’ styles, that they didn't get stuck in restrictive thinking patterns.  
”There. Look, if we use the ley lines that have been build inside the palace walls, we could light up the whole building for a few seconds with such a bright ice fire-”  
”It won't work. We do not have a catalyst strong enough to-”  
”Oh, but we do.”  
”We do?”  
”this is the palace of ancient winters. We are going to use that.”  
”That?”  
”Yes. That.”  
”The casket.” Loki realised.  
”Yes. The casket of ancient winters.”

The casket of ancient winters looked exactly as Loki remembered it. The swirling blue inside the ornate corners. The artefact that had stolen Lokis’ peace of mind and given him the cold harsh truth of his life.   
”The feeling is quite hard to explain isn't it.”  
Loki blinked at Angerboda, who had come to stand beside Loki, and switched between looking Loki and the casket. There was fondness in his eyes and Loki wasn't sure whether it was meant for Loki or the casket.  
”Seeing the casket for the first time. The heart of the planet.” Angerboda continued seeing Lokis’ confusion. I have been near it my whole life but seeing it up close still gives me shivers sometimes.”  
”Yes, well. The ritual.” Loki changed the subject, not wanting to examine the feelings the casket was making him feel any more closely.  
”Of course. Fathe-Master Hurvi! Has everyone in the palace been counted for?”   
”Yes my child. We have gathered everyone into the concert hall. The sorcerers are keeping the room bright from corner to corner, so the creatures won't be able to sneak in unnoticed. If you two succeed now we won't lose any more of our people to these monsters.”  
”No pressure then.” Angerboda muttered to himself   
”Alright then gang.” Angerboda, Loki, master Hurvi and the bodyguards all looked at the Doctor.   
”What? I like to have a gang. Anyway, what exactly is it that you two are going to do.”  
Loki took the opportunity to smirk at the Doctor, for once having an upper hand on the knowledge to the Doctor.   
”We, well Angerboda-” Loki corrected himself, once again aware how useless he had become without his magic. ”We.” Angerboda stated. ”I will need the strength of another to support me.”  
”We then-.” Loki continued, trying to sound unaffected. ”We will use the casket of ancient winters as a kind of catalyst. Angerboda will replicate her fire-spell, and hopefully we can use the power of the casket to magnify the power and channel the core of the magic to run through the ley lines of the castle. ”  
”So you are going to create a great big flash.”  
”Yes Doctor, we are going to create a great big flash that will hopefully destroy every shadow in the palace, counting the Vasthra Nerada.”  
”Sounds almost like one of my plans then.”  
”I would quite hope not.” Loki deadpanned and counted the quiet snort from Angerboda as an achievement. The Doctor didn't seem to mind, as he looked as giddy as ever before doing something mad.  
”Lets start then.” Master Hurvi said. ”Every moment wasted, is a moment that my people are in danger.”  
Loki and Angerboda glanced at each other and nodded in silent agreement. It was time to see whether they would succeed, or if some mistake in their theory would backfire horrifically.  
The guards stepped back respectfully. The Doctor and master Hurvi stayed hovering as near as they dared to. Angerboda and Loki stepped up both on the opposing sides of the pedestal, and grasped each others’ hands.   
Angerboda took long deep breath and then closed her eyes in concentration. Loki felt once again frustration for being so useless, but forced his emotions back. Angerboda would need to feel his calmness through the connection.   
Angerboda started chanting quietly under his breath. Slowly he opened his palms and laid them upwards flat over the casket. Loki followed Angerbodas moves, keeping his hands under Angerbodas, supporting the others palms that had started to glow faintly with magic.  
Angerboda opened his eyes again, but the gaze did not settle towards anything. His eyes were distant, the red somehow deeper and the pupils not focussed. A small flame came to life on Angerbodas palms and now Loki had to support the hands holding the flame to not sink down.  
Loki found his lips following the sounds of the chants out of reflex.   
The casket answered to them. Lighting up, first to glow softly and then more brightly, the blue light bleeding out to run down from the pedestal, to trickle on the floor and to move towards the walls in ornate swirling patterns.   
Master Hurvi stood calmly as the lines snaked under his feet, but the Doctor stood up to his toes trying to avoid a tendril shooting past his heels.  
When the light made its way to the walls, it shot up inside the ice, lighting the whole chamber and travelling towards every corner of the palace inside the ice.  
Loki could feel the distant pull through Angerbodas slightly shaking hands and the almost-heat of the flame that flickered in every colour of the rainbow.  
”Now.” Loki commanded softly when he could feel the second-hand echo of the magic fill the last corner. Angerboda was too lost in the hum of magic to comprehend time properly, but he heard Loki and started chanting the second part of the spell.   
”Close your eyes!” Loki commanded everyone else in the room, just before he closed his own. Hopefully everyone in the concert hall would have remembered to close their eyes when the light of the casket claimed the walls   
The bright light burned Lokis’ eyelids, and Loki could hear a wooshing sound in his ears, but something was also wrong. There was a disturbance in the air, something ripping through the web of magic engulfing the building.  
When the burning feeling died out from his eyelids, Loki opened his eyes, only to come face to face with a stony statue reaching towards his throat.  
”Nobody Blink!” The Doctor screamed, but Loki found himself struggling to comprehend the words. He was still light headed from all that magic flowing so near him.  
”What?”  
”Nobody take their eyes off of those statues! Nobody blink! There is only three of them, just everyone keep your eyes on them and we will be all right!”  
”What are they?” Mater Hurvi demanded in a calm voice. Angerboda giggled and Loki risked a glance at the other sorcerer. His red eyes were still unfocused and he leaned on the casket, partially sprawled over the ancient artefact.  
”They are called the weeping angels. They feed on energy, time-energy to be in fact. They are the fastest creatures of the known universe, but they are quantum locked-”  
”In as few words as possible, we are running against time.” Master Hurvi interrupted, his calm demeanour helping Loki to even his own breathing.  
”They turn to stone when another living being watches them. They can only move when nobody sees them do so.”  
”It was them who sent the Vasthra Nerada.” Master Hurvi said. ”The casket is what they are after isn't it?”  
”It would make sense. The energy of the casket would be a tempting prize for them, surely they would like to claim the casket for themselves.”  
”But the casket is guarded too well, so they send the vasthra nerada to empty out the palace for them, or plunge our home into blind darkness, surely either outcome would suit them.”  
”It seems like there was a reason Tardis disobeyed me again...”  
”What? The Tardis-”  
”Never mind Loki, the most important thing right now is for us to make it out of this room, with the casket.”   
”We only need to keep looking at them right?”  
”Right.”  
”Well then. Thorn, Revik. Secure the casket, and keep your eyes on the creatures all time. Loki, help Angerboda. Doctor, stay close. We will back out of the room slowly, when any of you has to blink announce it beforehand. Try to keep your eyes on at least two at the time so we will be covering as much ground as possible. Now start falling back slowly.”  
”Everyone did as master Hurvi told them to. Step by step inching towards the exit that they knew to be behind them.  
It was slow and nerve wrecking going and Angerboda fumbling on Lokis side didn't help. With every step, the redheaded jotun however became surer on his footing  
When everyone was outside the doorway, master Hurvi stepped forward and raised his hand. The clearest wall of ice started to rise from the ground and fill the doorway. Layer by layer the ice grew thicker, but never loosing its glass like appearance.  
The last wall of ice to shoot from the ground to cover the doorway was also the fastest and the thickest. At least half a meter thick, the wall of ice shot from the floor sealing the room. Instantly as the dark ice wall was up, they could hear pounding and scratching on the other side. Master Hurvi flicked his hands and rose another wall, just as thick. ”Will they make it through?” He asked the Doctor, a tenor of frustrated worry in his voice.  
”Eventually” The Doctor agreed.

The concert hall was filled with grumbling and worried whispers. Loki couldn't blame them, they had all been expecting explanation on what had happened for them to be evacuated and for Master Hurvis return to mean that they didn't need to be holed up anymore. Instead they had been told that it was still too dangerous to go outside, and on top of that, the legendary casket of ancient winters had been brought to the concert hall. Loki could see more than a few sneak as close to the artefact as they dared, under the stern stares of the guards.   
”Loki!”  
Loki turned to face a wall of worried hovering as Jorna and Baula made their way through the crowd to meet Loki. ”We were so worried about all of you. Thank Ymir you came back in one piece.”   
”It's fine.” Loki ended up saying, not knowing what else to say to the almost strangers worried over him.  
”The rumours we have heard. You wouldn't believe what some of these people are saying.”   
”Never mind the rumours, Are the shadows gone!” demanded an anxious Skari, who had also appeared in Lokis personal space. Seeing that he was the midget around here, Loki felt uncomfortably crowded in.   
”Well the Vasthra Nerada should be gone...”  
”They are.”  
”How the Hel do you all manage to sneak up to me.”  
”You mean they managed to sneak up on you?” Angerboda smiled tiredly, pointing at Baula, Jorna and Skari, but his eyes were aware again. ”Loki please, that's just embarrassing.”  
”well you weren't exactly at your best just few moments ago either.”  
Angerboda smiled again tiredly, the red eyes bit pinkish. ”I felt them die.” Angerboda continued more seriously. ”I felt the light burn and extinguish them and I felt them screaming in agony. I felt them beg for whatever primal force that they worship. For that moment I was one with them, a destroyer, the light that burns life away.”  
Loki shivered and an awkward silence fell over them. ”You did it to protect your people.” Loki finally said, just to break the silence.  
”Yes, I never claimed anything else.”  
silence fell once again until Skari asked, ”why are we then still locked here.”  
”They weren't the only monsters plaguing us. These ones want the casket.” Angerboda explained. Running a tired hand through his limp hair. ”I don't know what we are going to do.” He admitted in a quiet voice, looking startled by the words like he hadn't meant to say them out loud.  
”Doctor!” Loki wondered when it had become so natural to call for the Doctor when you didn't know what to do. When had he started trusting anyone?  
The Doctor and master Hurvi turned from the quiet conversation they had been having. What are we going to do, Loki almost asked but swallowed the words. ”What are the creatures capable of?” He asked instead. ”What are they going to do if they reach us?”  
”They feed on time energy. On the rift left by time-travel. They sneak on you and if they manage to touch you, they will send you back in time before you were born.”   
”So they don't kill you?”   
”They don't need to, but they can be brutal.”  
”How do we fight them then?” Angerboda asked, all business.  
”You won't do anything anymore, you have done quite enough already.”  
”But fa-master. I need to fight.”  
”You will stay here and rest.”  
”Do they have any weaknesses.” Loki interrupted the impending family fight. The Doctor played with his screwdriver in his hands. ”well, obviously the fact that they cannot move while seen is a weakness, but seeing how fast they are, they don't need more than a blink to reach you. You can't hurt them when they are still, you can't really hurt them when they are moving either, not that you could ever catch one, and as far as I know they have achieved one of the closest things to immortality that I have seen in the universe. However, we do have one advance over them.”  
Everybody on a hearing range was now listening to the Doctor.   
”The weeping angels are just as affected by the stare of their own kind. They cannot look at each other nor, and this is important, catch their own reflection. And we are sitting in a castle made of ice!”


	13. Jotunheim part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh dear....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> go to the end notes for some IMPORTANT author's notes

“It is too dangerous.”

“There isn’t a less dangerous way.”

“You are our grandmaster, we can’t risk you.”

“It is exactly because I am the grandmaster that I must do this. I order you to stop arguing with me.”

“Master Hurvi.” The sorcerer dipped his head, but did not do so happily. It was clear that neither he, nor any of the sorcerers were happy to be left once again in the hall, even if it was to guard the casket.

“Besides, we are wasting time. There is no guarantee how long my walls will keep the angels imprisoned.” Master Hurvi levitated the three large mirrors of the ground where they had just been set by burly guards. “And lets not all take such a negative attitude. Technically this shouldn’t be more difficult than placing three mirrors on the doorway. There will be three of us providing some quality staring.”

“Three.” Angerboda blinked. Father, there is four of us. Me, you, Loki and the Doctor.

“No. You will stay here.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“No. That is not only sensible, but also according to the old rules. You are my heir. We can’t both risk our lives at the same time.”

“Wasn’t it you just seconds ago saying that nothing wouldn’t go wrong.”

“Stop being childish Angerboda. You and I both know that there is a risk going to those creatures again. You are my heir and you know that with that comes certain duties. Most of all your duty to push aside your heroic heart and think with your sensible brain. The palace cannot risk us both and you are younger, not to forget at the moment still exhausted by your last heroics. Remember, you already saved us once. Isn’t that quite enough.”

Angerboda grinded his teeth, but seemed to deflate at the same time. “I know. I just…”

“We all want to be selfish from time to time. I know snowflake. I’ll be back before you can say icepick.”

“Icepick.” Loki could hear Angerboda muttering to himself, before all three of them, Loki, the Doctor, and Master Hurvi went through the hall doors, the mirrors levitating after them.

 

The palace was silent. Eerily, heavily silent. Loki had been on several silent places, but the silence surrounding a hidden predator was always one of its kind. It didn’t help that the silence gathering around them was acomplied by the visual of broken down wall on the doorway to the lighting chamber.

“It seems that they got out.”

“Thank you for your deduction Doctor. I really needed it to be spelled out for me.”

They should have known. Nothing was ever this easy. They couldn’t have just waltzed in and force the angels to become immobile by making them stare at their own reflections for the rest of eternity until they found a way to get rid of them for good. No, they were once again sitting ducks for enemies they would not see coming.

“Well the good news are that they too will be seriously limited in their movements.”

“How?”

“Didn’t you listen, we are in a castle made of ice. They won’t risk catching their own reflection so they will shield their eyes when moving. Which means that they won’t be able to see us either.”

“And how good are their other senses?”

“Well…I mean…Pretty good.”

 “In other words, we are screwed. Tell me doctor, why do I travel with you again?”

“I’ll treat you a dinner after we survive this.”

“Gentlemen. Let’s focus. We must go back to where the casket is, surely that will be where the angles will be heading next. To where the casket and Angerboda is.” Master Hurvi said, his voice showing only slightest temor on the name of his ward.

“Yes of course.” The Doctor nodded. “At least we hope that they are heading for the casket.”

“What else would they be heading for?”

The realisation hit Loki like a sack of bricks. Grabbing the Doctor’s arm, Loki stopped the time lord. “Would they really? Wouldn’t that be incredibly-“

“Bad.” The Doctor finished for Loki. “Yes, which is why we hope that they haven’t realised that there is a tardis nestled just beyond that mountain pass.”

“Right. We hope.”

“As we always do.”

 

The walk back was even tenser than the walk there. They kept staring at the hallways, doorways, and the empty halls till their eyes started to hurt, but if the angels were following them, they kept themselves well hidden. This was not a comforting thought.

Getting closer to the hall, it became clear why the small company had been left alone. There were screams to be heard from the great hall. Master Hurvi took off running immediately. The Doctor was soon following him with his much shorter legs, but with a lot experience in running. Loki and the rest followed.

Something was most definitely wrong in the great hall and dread gripped those who ran towards it, seeing that people were stumbling and running out of the hall, coughing.

“What has happened!?” Loki demanded from one of the passing frost giants, who was leaning on the wall, having a coughing fit.

“The hall-“Cough. “the air started to get funny. It took us a moment to realize it was toxic.” Cough. “The hall was being filled with toxic gas.”

Loki swore and with new energy rushed through the crowd. At least this time it was to his advantage that he was so much smaller than everyone else.

In the chaos, Loki glimpsed a familiar red hair on his own eye level. “Angerboda!”

Angerboda turned around, the casket firmly grabbed in his hands. He granted Loki a fast smile, before being turning around again. Master Hurvi had also spotted his ward and now greeted Angerboda with relief. Loki pushed his way to stand with the two other frost giants.

“I have given a command to the guards to usher everyone out. I think the angels have somehow managed to redirect the toxic substances from the alchemy department to fill the air of the hall. We don’t know if the entire palace will turn unbreathable soon.”

“The palace isn’t airtight enough to poison it all. But you did the right choice Angerboda, if they wreck the alchemy department enough, who knows what will happen.”

“They are trying to kill everyone inside. That way no one will be here to look at them, forcing them into quantum lock. We need to get outside and fast.”

“Even that might not be enough.” The Doctor added, appearing to their side. “If they get desperate enough, they might start dappling with the magical items and in the worst case scenario figure out a way to blow up the entire continent.”

“Wouldn’t they destroy the casket on the way?”

“I don’t know, and I have a feeling that neither do they. The scary part is where we don’t know if they would be willing to take the risk.”

 

Looking at the palace again from the outside, the palace looked exactly the same that it had looked when Loki had the first time glimpsed it, but at the same time entirely different. Loki’s perception had changed with the fear and a sense of protectiveness towards the building that had made him feel almost familiar amongst his own species. 

“If only we would have more time.” Muttered master Hurvi, standing next to Angerboda who was still holding onto the casket. When taken out of the grand pedestals, the casket looked almost commonplace.   

“Doctor-?”

“If we head into direction of the tardis, the angels will probably make it there before us.”

“Doctor.” Called the timid voice of Skari, the poor musician. “I just, I am only a choir member and not a wise master or mage, but you said that the monsters feed on time energy?”

“Yes, they do, they send their victims back in time and feed on the potential-wait!”

“I’m sorry master Hurvi!” Skari squawked out and snatched the hash of the grandmaster from the shoulders of master Hurvi. Then he took sprinting towards the open gates of the palace.

“Skari no! What are you-?”

  Skari disappeared inside, through the gates that swallowed him into the darkness.

“Skari!”

“Skari!”

The ground below their feet started to glow.

“Shouldn’t we go after him? Angerboda demanded, but hesitantly, like out of duty and not out of belief that there could be anything done. The ground kept glowing brighter. “Is that a time-locked spell?”

“It might be that Skari ended up being the greatest magician of us all, without ever studying the art.” The grandmaster said, touching the glowing tenders of light with a palm of his hand.

“An ancient spell made to open up exactly today, exactly here.” The Doctor laughed out dryly. “Yes, while we were all without ideas, Skari knew exactly what we needed.”

“More time to figure out a strategy against the angels.” Loki finished the thought. The light concentrated to just one small area of ground, which opened up, showing the chest hidden in there centuries ago.

They all watched as master Hurvi lifted the chest up and opened it. Inside there were two scrolls and a runestone.

“It’s a message from Skari. Master Hurvi finally said, after eyeing the scrolls down. He has send us a way to defeat the angels.” Master Hurvi passed the scrolls to Angerboda, who started frantically reading.

“Skari deliberately let himself be flung back in time, with only my shash and a story to tell to the masters of the past. He has been heard of and the masters prepared a spell of protection for the casket that will work even for the angels.” Here master Hurvi lifted the runestone up. “It has been loading up power for all these centuries, just for this moment.

“He says that he has left a personal message for us in the library, when we have the time to read it.” Angerboda read from the scroll, while Loki peeked over Angerboda’s shoulder. It was beyond surreal to think that these weathered and worn scrolls were written by the anxious musician that had just minutes ago been standing there next to them. “He says that everything turned out fine for him at least.”

Is it weird to miss someone I barely even knew?” Angerboda wondered out loud, setting the scrolls back to their chest.

“I think it’s much weirder, that even I miss him, even if he didn’t die and I just met him today.” Loki answered.

“It has been a weird day.” Angerboda laughed lightly. “Let’s see if father needs help with the spell.”

He didn’t, the two young sorcerers hanged around anyway watching as the runestone melted into the casket, becoming part of the magical artefact. “Is that it? Are we now ready to test it?” The Doctor asked after last of the glow had dimmed.

“I don’t think that there is any way to test it. It either works, or we are doomed.”

“Well as long as we keep a positive attitude as that.”

“Indeed.”

 

They watched the casket, all alone sitting in front of the main gates, where they has left it.

“Now everybody, close your eyes.” They did.

There was silence, the exhale of your own breath, more silence and then a sound like a suction cup. A faint sound, nothing dramatic, but those with magic could feel the magical energy flash around like a nuclear detonation, all consuming. Then it was gone. Spent. Slowly they opened their eyes. There were footprints around the casket in the snow and an energy signature of something having been sucked into nothingness. Loki swallowed. The creatures were as gone as a being can be gone. Even the footprints were starting to be blown away by the gentle wind.

“Let’s go to the library to find Skari’s message.” Angerboda said and took Loki’s hand.

 

The celebration was beautiful. It would have been better if Loki had been allowed to stay and enjoy it. The list of things Loki managed to do before everything fell apart was this.

  1. Read Skari’s autobiography. It had been sitting in the palace library all these years, but little did all the eager students of musical history know that the Skari the composer of the book was the same Skari that lived in their dorms. The mysterious note: Until that year that my friends will attach the beginning to my book, I shall say nothing of my childhood, was finally explained.
  2. Taste some local food.
  3. Finnish the tour of the palace.
  4. Get attached to the place and its inhabitants.



In the back of his mind the small idea of staying teased him. Why not? He could stay here, make a new life for himself, like Skari had done in. He might not have had his magic, but he would be surrounded by books of it, he would be amongst his own kind and more importantly amongst people he could consider friends. Why not indeed?

The answer turned out to be that the Doctor wouldn’t allow him to stay.

“Why are you dragging me away?! I don’t understand?! You have a time machine surely you cannot be in a genuine hurry!”

“Oh but I am. Loki I’m sorry, so sorry, but the thing that has been nagging me this entire time just lodged into place. We are in a wrong century. The Tardis took us here because we were needed here, but we cannot stay a second longer.”

“Then what’s going to happen?” The air would have seemed warm compared to the frost in Loki’s voice.

“A fixed point.”

Loki let himself to be manhandled into the Tardis, but had no plans to lose the war. “What is going to happen?! I deserve to know!”

“Do you truly want to?”

“Yes.”  

The Doctor and Loki held gazes and the Doctor was the one who had to look away first. It didn’t however mean that he answered Loki’s question or stopped setting coordinates for the Tardis to leave.

Something wild and ugly reared its head in Loki’s mind as he saw the Doctor escape his gaze and pull the lever, the famous wheezing enveloping them. With a snarl he lunged for the console. “I deserve to know! Don’t LIE to me!”

The Tardis wheezed and groaned under two pair of drivers with such differing goals, but eventually Loki’s brute strength won out. When the Tardis settled down, Loki did not stay to meet the sure-to-be-disappointed gaze of the Doctor. He dashed out of the door, finding to his delight that at least they had not travelled in space. Sprinting towards the palace he had to find out how much they had moved in time and what had happened.

 

What Loki found were ruins. Wroth and ruin. The palace that had just hours ago for him been so full of laughter, noises and life, was now silent. The beautiful lanterns didn’t create colourful light flickering on the walls, instead most of them were shattered on the ground and the few that were left, only illuminated more horrors. There were rubbles. Broken walls and shattered archways. Tell-tale signs of battle were all around for him to see. The trampled ground. The ice peaks that had been randomly formed all around the ground.

And then there were the bodies. Hundreds, maybe thousands of still, dead frost giants, were laying on the ground. Some were still gripping on weapons. Mouths twisted in fury, reaching, even in death. Some were cowering. Curled up in little balls, maybe trying to shield someone else, maybe alone, kneeling on the ground, and trying to surrender even in the face of the certain death. There were bodies hidden beneath the ice and rubble.

There was a stench of blood in the crisp air.

Loki though that he should be more horrified, instead he felt numb. Like walking in a dream, Loki kept moving. Walking through the remains of the great front doors, even deeper to the ruins of the great palace. The main walkway was clear. It was like no one had wanted to dirty the hallway and instead you could just see little droplets of blood splattered there and there. Seeping behind the corners, dropping slowly down the stairs.

Loki didn’t look, his feet knew where he was going. There was a pull, a link of magic telling him where to go.

He stepped over a broken lyre, which had been carelessly thrown in the floor.

Numbly he noted that the floor had scratch marks leading under a closed door. There was a puddle forming just under the door.

Loki kept walking.

The door to the chamber of the casket had been blown open, frozen shut and blown open again. Carefully stepping through the spiky mess, Loki entered the dim room.

There was no casket resting on the pedestal, but there was a small blue shape laying just under it.

Like waking up from the dream. Loki felt his breath disappear and his legs to crumble beneath him, even while he was running towards Angerboda.

Turning Angerbodas head, Loki finally felt the horror seep through his numb calmness. Angerboda had no eyes. They had been clawed off of his head.

A broken noise came from Angerbodas cracked lips.

“Loki...”

“Yes Angerboda. It's me. Don’t worry, you'll be all right. The Doctor is coming, well take you to the Tardis and heal you. Shh, I’m here.”

“Loki...I figured it out. You're from the future. I figure it out...”

“Yes, yes. You are so smart Angerboda. A genius. Tell me how did you know? You’re so amazing.”

Somewhere behind them Loki could hear the wheezing of the tardis. He didn’t pay it any attention.

“Laufey? Is Laufey still king.”

“No. he is dead. He...he was killed by one of his sons.”

“Tell me, tell me about the future.”

“I will tell you everything when you are better. I will show you. You can travel with us in the Tardis.”

“No Loki. There is only one journey I am going to take anymore. I'm sorry. I am so sorry, but I'm not strong enough. You deserved so much better, but I'm just not strong enough. But I will give you a gift.”

“You just keep hanging in there, Angerboda. Just, just don’t give up now, eh mate.” Came the voice of the Doctor from somewhere Loki’s left. Both frost giants ignored him. Angerboda had clasped Loki’s forearm and in one final desperate burst of strength, made her own magic pulse through it. One second Loki felt euphoric, feeling the burn of the magic pulse in his veins, then there was a burst of warm liquid against his arm.

The ice spear formed from around Loki’s hand and went straight through Angerboda’s chest. Loki’s hand was seeped in the bubbling liquid.

“Thank you.” Angerboda whispered and Loki could feel the warm energy flowing from his burning hand all around his veins. Angerboda was transferring his magic.

“Tell me.”

Loki wanted to scream. Wanted to yank his hand away, wanted to yell at the Doctor to do something. The Doctor, whose hand had stopped somewhere in Angerboda’s hair and was now immobile, frozen from shock.

Instead he started talking in a soothing voice.

“It’s beautiful. There is no war. Jotunheim is the most beautiful of the nine realms, everybody agrees. King Odin of Asgard created a lasting peace treaty with Jotunheim. And Prince Thor, he is sometimes as thick as a troll, but he is the kindest and most loving person of the nine realms. He was risked his life to save Jotunheim from a madman. Neither Asgard nor Jotunheim have antything to fear from each other, or any other realm. The world is at harmony.”

“I'm glad. Thank you.”

And then it was over. The flow of magic stopped. Angerboda’s body stiffened and his red eyes paled to milkish pink.

It was the Doctor that silently reached and closed those eyes.

Loki fainted.

 

He was running through the halls, hearing the screams, air burning in his lungs, faster and faster, cursing his dwarf body, seeing a soldier appear from around the corner, not thinking, just acting, letting the ice spear crush straight through the soldiers windpipe, feeling the horror of taking a life for a first time, but still continuing on. For right now he had just one purpose, he had to reach the chamber in time...

 

And he was sitting on a meeting with his foster father and other elders. Laufey’s messengers were there and they weren’t in mood for negotiations. The king had given his command.

The elders were bristling. How dare King Laufey to spit on all the ancient rules and send armed warriors into the holy halls. How dare he demand something that he has no right, that no mortal frost giant has no right to claim as their own...

 

And he is inside the chamber. The casket of ancient winters glows like any other day. But it is not any other day. He knows that he is too late. There are already warriors surrounding the chamber. Thawing for a way in. He cannot take the casket and run. Not anymore. So instead he gathers his courage and prepares for a stand.

 

And he is hearing the warning horn for the first time. He is feeling the dread turn into horrible realisation as he understands that the messengers were never here for negotiations. They were always coming to claim the casket, one way or another. And now the messengers are back, back with the soldiers with them.

 

And he is there crawling on the floor. Spitting out blood and seeing the grand shape come closer and closer. It is Laufey. The king is here, watching him crawl on his own blood. Barely a sneer is given to him from the king who grasps the casket and lifts it from its place. Like a wild fire spell, the hate gathers inside his belly and with a burst of power and a burst of blood on his mouth, there is an actual fire-spell hurled towards the king.

 

He is standing on a balcony, overlooking the horde of soldiers descending. There must be thousands of them, all come here just to lay waste to their sanctuary. He sees his father fall down in the yard and then he knows that he must reach the casket before the kings men do.

 

And he is choking on Laufey’s hold. Gasping for breath and seeing the hate in those eyes. “You should have been killed when you were spawned, imp.” The king says. His hate for the cripples and runts is well known. In that moment Angerboda knows that all those stories of the ethnic cleansings are true. “You would have been lucky then.” Then there is white hot pain as his eyes are gone.

He lies there, tasting the blood and breathing on the iron smell. And he knows then. With the kind of prophetic knowledge, only given to sorcerers once in a century, he knows and sees the fates open before him and it makes him giddy, almost makes him want to laugh.

“One day you will be killed by an imp like me, King Laufey! Ymir will take vengeance on the mad king!” Only the blood on the ground and the bare walls hear the prophecy being spoken.

 

And then he feels the gentle hands on his hair and is in peace.

 

He wakes up and is again Loki. Loki of Asgard. Loki of Jotunheim. Loki of nothing.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story has been on a hiatus for ages and it's all because of this chapter. I had the last three pages of this chapter written three years ago, as I had about the 50 pages coming after it. I did not have the beginning of this chapter written and I delayed and delayed writing it, because I had lost so much interest in this story. Calling quits now however would mean losing those 50 pages, so I half-assed something just to get the story arc done and could get rid of it. Sorry about the quality, but my motivation towards this story by this point in life is pretty low. more info of the future of this story after I have published everything already written.


	14. Journey to the centre of the Tardis part 1

Journey to the centre of the Tardis

”Loki?”  
…..  
”Loki?”  
…..  
Nothing. There was no answer. The Doctor sighted and slipped away from the door. For a moment he fancied asking the Tardis to open the door, but then decided against it. He had no right to just barge in, not after how effectively Loki had managed to avoid the Doctor the last few days. 

The Doctor worried for his companion. Seeing the carnage of king Laufey’s raid was exactly something that the Doctor had tried to protect Loki from seeing. He had tried to aim for the plenty peaceful millennia that Jotunheim had had between the northern rebellions and the war against Asgard. And from all of those millennia, he had managed to land on one of the darkest and feared days in the history of the planet. The theft of the casket. A fixed point in time and a catalyst for the entire war with Asgard.   
Why was it that the fixed points seemed always be the bad things, but the good things were always so malleable and in danger. When you had travelled as long as the he had, you had to sometimes wonder if the universe was trying, one fixed point at the time, to destroy itself and everything in it.

But none of those things were quite as pressing or worrying as the fact that Loki had locked himself in his room and hadn't answered the Doctor for a long while now.   
The obvious thing to do would have been just to give him more time, but the Doctor was not known for his patience.   
Also, he could be injured. While Loki had been physically fine when the Doctor had checked him, while the jotun had still been unconscious, physicality was not the Doctor’s greatest concern right now.  
Angerboda had practiced a ritual, a hasty desperate last minute ritual, but ritual anyway, giving hir own powers to Loki. Giving part of hir own soul to Loki. While Loki had practiced seidr all of his life, it had been his own seidr. And now that his own seidr had been ripped off of him and then replaced with angerbodas seidr, well, anything could happen.  
The Doctor would have liked to perform slight telepathic search, but hadn't done it in fear of unsettling Loki’s brains even more now that they were trying to reroute themselves.  
So in the end the concern won and the Doctor ended up knocking again on Loki’s door.  
”Loki?”  
….  
The doctor was again left wondering whether to ask Tardis to just open the door and face the wrath of an angry jotun sorcerer, or whether to leave and face the change that Loki was on the other side drowning on his own drool after his brains rewired themselves wrong trying to accommodate to Angerbodas seidr.  
But if Loki was dying on the other side, surely the Tardis would have alerted the Doctor already. It wasn’t like she would let anyone die inside her.   
But then again, Loki could be in pain...  
At least the Tardis seemed to have decided that Loki was in enough pain to let the Doctor in, as the door softly clicked open.  
The inside of the room was utterly destroyed. All the walls were covered in a layer of frost, the furniture laid in pieces scattered against the walls, also covered in frost, or in some cases solid ice. Sitting alone, back against the far wall, was the eye of the storm. The centrepiece of destruction, knees drawn to his chest, just sitting there, quietly.  
”Loki-”  
”Don't”  
He was wearing his aesir skin again. That meant that the seidr had not at least frizzled the brains from under the mob of unruly black hair. The Doctor couldn't be sure about the amount of control Loki had over his new seidr. The aesir skin would let it believe that Loki could control it somehow, but then again there had been illusion casted over him since he had been just newborn, as long as Loki’s body was concerned, this was its natural state which it would retreat to if it just had the power to do so.  
The destruction of the room could have been anything from the loss of control, to very deliberate use of control of seidr.  
”I was just worried-”  
”I said don’t!”  
”Alright, alright. I just wanted to know-”  
”you just wanted to know. Of course you did. But you know what, you’re not the only one. Tell me doctor, was this your plan all along?”  
”what? I don’t understand-”  
”Don’t lie to me! You knew, you knew from the day one. You knew when you took me to jotunheim. You knew all along and you never told me. Why? To show me myself? To make me suffer more?”  
”Loki no! No! Whatever you are thinking, that is not true, and I would never want you to suffer-!”  
”Liar! You brought me there. You brought me there to see the monster I really am. My father killed all those people. All those children. Did you see them, the children cut open and left to rot? That was my father’s doing. That is the blood that runs through my veins. I was always right. I am a monster.”  
”No! You are being absolutely ridiculous. You think your blood makes you who you are? You are Loki. Nothing less nothing more. What Laufey did-.”  
”we could have stopped him.”  
”Fixed point.”  
”I don’t care.”  
”I know the feeling. But this is not about caring. It is a physical impossibility. I am not a god Loki. There is nothing we can do.”  
”we could have saved Angerboda.”  
”Angerboda didn't want to be saved.”  
During their conversation, the Doctor had come to crouch near Loki, hoping to offer support. It was a tactical mistake, as the Doctor soon found out, as Loki’s hand shot up, lightning fast, slapping the Doctor right across the face and bringing him stumbling facedown to the floor, frost bite biting to his cheek.  
”And that’s it. The great Doctor, whispered trough the universe. A time lord. A being so supreme that the rest of the world trembles on your feet. Do you enjoy this? The power. Or do you just not care. You promised to show me the wonders of the universe and you brought me to witness the slaughter of my own people on the hands of my father. Was this your plan from the beginning, time lord? Is this how your race amuses themselves? Are the rest of the time lords watching? Enjoying the spectacle!”  
”I assure you, that they are not.” whispered the Doctor, his head still ringing from the force of the blow. He counted it lucky that Loki had not taken his head straight from his shoulders, which had to count as a small victory in this situation.

”This is why I tried to get you to leave. You went back on your own, don't forget that.”  
”So now it's my fault. Tell me, what else you haven’t told me, time lord? Surely you have seen the future and what it holds for me. What else could I have destroyed?”  
”I don't know anything about your future, and Loki you are not being rational. You didn't need to know all your family’s crimes. They have nothing to do with you.”  
”You want me to trust you. That’s what you always say. I don't even know your name, Doctor. Tell me, how am I ever to trust you again. How am I ever to trust anyone again? All my life, no one has ever done nothing but lied to me.”  
….  
For a few heartbeats the doctor held Loki’s glittering green eyes, before they turned away and the asgardian stormed away from the room.  
The Doctor had failed. Just few words. That was all it would have taken. The right words. But for a moment he had been unable to answer.  
So he got up and started chasing after his distraught companion.

The Doctor trusted the Tardis to bring him to Loki. After few steps, he however noticed that he could easily trust Loki to bring him to Loki, as there was a clear path of icy destruction leading towards the console room.  
To his relief, when he arrived at the console room, the room was not covered in ice. Instead the Tardis was humming soothingly and Loki stood over the console, staring at the buttons like trying to find the answer to the universe in there. (Finding the answer to the universe inside the Tardis was entirely possible, but most probably not what Loki was actually seeing right now)  
”Loki, I know you are angry, I know you are in pain-”  
”Do you Doctor? Do you even know what those words mean? Have you ever been hurt?”  
”the Doctor knew what he should say. But the words got stuck on his throat. There were secrets that shouldn't be told ever, and right now the secrets weighted more than even his companions rage.  
Loki saw the hesitation in the Doctor’s eyes and struck.  
The ice spear was long, thick and formed in seconds. It was powerful seidr, wild emotion fuelled, jotna ice seidr. That was why the ice so easily pierced through the Tardis console, digging deep into the machinery.   
The Doctor could hear the Tardis scream in pain and in anger. The lights flickered and disappeared, not as much because of the damage, but more as a protest from the Tardis itself.  
Then the Tardis started shaking and groaning in a way that made the Doctor’s hearts miss beats. No. There was no way, there was no way that they would have this rotten luck.  
Why on the universe there had to be a magnetic grip around them now!?

 

When the Doctor came to again, he was covered in wires, aching everywhere and really confused as how he had managed to end up outside the Tardis. Also, as a note, where was he?  
Also who were the three humanoid figures that he could barely see on between the wires trying to bury him?  
Untangling himself from the over-affectionate wires, (not cool) the Doctor bounced on his slightly unsteady feet. The humanoids seemed to be humans after all, and where whispering within themselves, heads bend, trying to be all sneaky, whispering. Cool.  
The trio of humans seemed to be quite taken as surprise when the Doctor joined them in the middle of their whispered conversation. And even stopped whispering! How rude.  
Oh, yes. Human senses, they probably hadn't expected anyone to be able to hear their whispered conversation. Oh humans!  
While the tallest of the humans was making some kind of feeble lies about the ship being already bangled up when they found it. (Oh please! That had to be a horrible lie even on human standards.)  
”What broke my ship. Was a magno-grip.” the Doctor reminded the humans. ”like the one you have control over. Like one that corresponds to this remote” the Doctor said waving the little egg shaped device in his hands. “Which I found in your pocket”  
The Doctor turned his steps back towards the Tardis, his poor girl, lying on her side, groaning in pain.  
”of course the grip wouldn't normally be even able to touch my girl, expect that Loki managed to break the shields, leaving the ship vulnerable. What are the odds? Out from all the possible moments you had to run to us right at the worst moment. I don't know whether the bad timing was yours or Loki’s. Which brings to me- Loki.”  
Loki had not ended up outside of the Tardis, not like the doctor had. Which was unsettling, because if the Tardis had thrown him out, there had to be a good reason. But surely the Tardis would not be angry enough with Loki to keep him in danger.  
Expect that Loki had attacked her.  
But hope is better part of valour. ”Has any of you seen a boy. About this tall-” Doctor gestured somewhere over his own head. ”Can be either pale white, or blue, black hair, cranky expression.”  
The humans stayed blank in their faces. They had no idea what he was talking about.  
Which meant-”Loki is still on board.” 

The Doctor looked at his girl, steaming, groaning, angry, and in pain.   
They needed to get Loki out.

Loki woke up to the smell of something burning and to a smell of iron surrounding him. At first he thought that he was back to one of his nightmares, but the discomfort of his body would assume otherwise. In his dreams he never felt anything.

Opening his eyes, Loki could see that he was not dreaming after all. Even though for a moment Loki doubted it. He seemed to be laying on the hard floor of the Tardis. In an ungraceful heap on the nook of one of the corridors. But this was not a corridor he could recognize. This was hardly the Tardis he could recognize. The usually so bright Tardis was now dark. The walls only illuminated by a red light that seemed to go and go as it pleased. The air was steamy and there were sounds in the air. Ominous sounds, groaning, screeching, and bonging. No, this was not the Tardis Loki had gotten used to. This was an alien, wild, dangerous Tardis.  
This was a hurt Tardis.

Loki was scared. He wouldn't ever admit it to anyone, but he was scared. He was scared because he had caused all this. He had been angry, so very angry and hurt. And once again he had done what he always did. He had lashed out.  
Had he truly done all this? Had he, one frost giant runt, been able to bring the vessel of the time lords to such destroyed state? It seemed impossible, but what else could have happened.  
He was a monster. 

Loki started to cautiously walk alongside the corridor. There were pipes and wires sticking out of the ceiling that Loki had to avoid hitting, and the steam rolling on the air didn't help matters any.  
Loki could feel the anger rolling around him in waves. He was being watched. Of course he had known that the Tardis was a sentient being before, the Doctor was always there to remind him, but this was the first time that Loki truly felt it. The Tardis was truly living being and it was angry with him.

The corridor came to an end, the door blocking his way. The button to open the door was temptingly near his hand, but Loki felt ill at ease. Something was tingling on his senses.   
The air was weighing him down and the dark corridor was silent. Loki decided to take a leap of faith and pushed the button to open the door.  
He regretted it immediately, when the wall of roaring fire came closing in on him from behind the doors.  
No, the Tardis wasn't just angry with him, it was furious with him.

The humans were squabbling amongst themselves again. It seemed to be the default setting for humans. Actually it seemed to be the default setting for all the sentient beings, but that right now wasn't the point. The humans were right now wasting time, valuable time that could have been used in a search for Loki.   
Speaking of humans, the Doctor settled his gaze on the only sensible being in this lot, which was the android. Expect that while the Doctor had met many androids on his travels, this one didn't quite fit in with his picture of an android. He seemed too...human for that. Too...meaty.  
”Since when does an android need a protective gear anyway?”  
”flesh coating. Same as us, he would burn up.” answered the other brother, readying his mask. The doctor just frowned. Slightly better lie than the first one, but still not quite convincing enough for him.

”It's-”  
”bigger on the inside. I get that a lot.”  
In any other circumstances, the Doctor would have basked on the awe of the visitors, but right at the moment he did not have the time for the usual introductions. So he left the three to their gaping and started to work on the console to do something for the steam that was blocking their vision.  
Few moves later, the air started to clear.  
”How big is this place?”  
”Picture the biggest ship you've ever seen. Are you picturing it?”  
”Yes.”  
”Good, now forget about it, because this ship is infinite.”  
”But, how are you going to find your boy in an infinite ship.”  
”I'm not, we are. And we are going to do it in an hour.”

Loki’s head was hurting. His senses were tingling like they had been stretched to their edges and his muscles were aching. Loki knew these symptoms. This was magical exhaustion. It wasn't his body that was protesting, it was his magic protesting through his body. When he had been a child, Loki had suffered the same symptoms many, many times. He had been curious over achiever, it had let his magic in turmoil, over used and hurt many times before he had learned about his limits.   
It had to be symptoms from the magic transfer. It was only logical.  
Even if it was peculiar that the symptoms would start to show themselves only now. After days of calm.  
There was also other possibility, but that was surely impossible.   
Yes, impossible, Loki tried to tell himself when he watched the claw marks on the wall.  
When he had been a child on Asgard, he had once developed a light headache from being exposed to strong seidr that a malicious sorcerer had tried to use to attack the court. But then he had suffered from light dizziness. Now he felt like his head was pounding in on itself.  
Loki watched at the claw marks that had been burned to the walls. Scratches seeped on chaotic malicious dark magic. Scratches that spelled out one word.  
ragnarök

”One hour! That's impossible! That’s not what our deal was about!”  
”don't go into a spaceship with a madman. Didn't anyone ever told you that?”  
”You'll kill us all!”  
”I will deactivate the Tardis self-destruction code and open the doors on lockdown when we have found Loki.”  
”So you'll kill us and the boy!”  
”Loki will die if you gents don't help me out here. We will find him and then leave. Or do you need some more motivation. Fine thirty minutes is it then. Come on boys, it is your own time you are wasting here. Also, you will perform better under pressure. Anybody want go for a fifteen minutes?”  
”Whoa whoa! Fine man. Fine. We'll help, we'll help!”  
”Well then. Let’s get to work. We have an asgardian to find!”

Loki was trying to hide. He was trying to hide from the angry spaceship around him.(impossible, he knew) He was trying to hide from the malevolent being that had scratched the walls.(where had it came from anyway) and Loki was trying to hide from the pain.(his head was no longer killing him, but the pounding hadn't gone away, just lessened.)

And maybe he was also trying to hide from the pain that wasn't physical, or even magical.  
Because Loki knew this pain, this feeling of spiralling down into madness. This feeling of betrayal this helplessness.   
He could still remember the fear, the desperation and the all-consuming anger that had driven him to the point where he had been dangling over the void and facing the truth that he had nothing left of anything he had ever wanted or loved. Only rejection.

Why was it than when he bared his emotions raw, when he left himself to be attached to something, he would always face nothing but coldness and lies.  
Because he had to admit it. He had become attached to the Doctor. He had become attached to the life on the Tardis and the adventures. On the alien way that the Doctor saw the world.   
He had become attached and now he didn't know what to believe anymore. 

Because the doctor had hurt him. Had lied to him, had denied him the one thing he had begged for.  
Loki had found something in the palace of the ancient winters. He had found many things in there. He had found friendship, understanding and Angerboda. All those things had been wiped away from him.   
How could have the Doctor possibly let that happen, let Loki see all the horrors, let Angerboda die and still claim to care for Loki. Care for anything.  
What was the doctor anyway? A distant god, playing his games on the lives of his lessers. Loki didn't want to believe so, but the Doctor hadn't answered. When Loki had asked him if he even understood the pain of the others, he had stayed silent.   
Loki knew that the doctor had the eyes of a killer and a liar. Why would he trust the time lord anyway?

Why was it that everyone that claimed to care for him, always ended up hurting him?  
Loki’s inner turmoil made it out in the form of a strong kick towards one of the shelves lining the walls of the unfamiliar room, which Loki had taken as his sanctuary for the moment.  
As result for Loki’s outburst, the shelf spit out some trinkets to the floor.   
One of them bounced on the floor and settled down, resting against Loki’s foot. Curiously, Loki picked it up.  
It was a small model of the Tardis, glued together using paper and cardboard.  
It was crude work, but the likeness was there. Spinning the curious object on his hands, Loki saw the inscription on the bottom.  
Amy pond 8 yrs  
A child had made a model of the Tardis. But who? Why was it here? Who was Amy pond?  
The model Tardis was enough to distract Loki from his dark thoughts for a moment. As on cue, the lights on the room softly brightened, letting Loki see where he had been curled on.

There were rows upon rows of shelves, desks and boxes, all containing, trinkets and gadgets of all sizes, colours and shapes.  
But these weren't just any kind of thrash. No, anyone could have seen the room for what it truly was. These were all memories.  
Uncurling his limbs, Loki stood up and started walking along the treasures.  
”did you bring me here on purpose?” Loki softly whispered to the air. Not expecting any answer, but feeling the need to still speak out loud.  
There was a crib sitting on one of the corners. Old, wooden, having little star mobile hanging on it. Dusty and unmoving. The circular shapes that decorated the Tardis all over, could also be found on the side of the crib.   
Loki flipped the stars hanging from the mobile and for a second was mesmerized by their movements. Had there been a baby on the Tardis sometime. But whose?

Had the Doctor ever had children, Loki wondered to himself while grapping a long stripy woollen scarf and letting his hands run along the worn material.  
All these things in here, they were all pieces of a past that Loki had no idea of.   
Loki set the scarf down and spun the black umbrella few times, before the headache came back with a vengeance.   
The headache could mean only one thing, which meant that Loki had to start running again.   
The Tardis had seemed to decide that she sided more with Loki than with the monster after him, because a doorway appeared for Loki to run to.   
For a second before slamming the door shut behind him, Loki saw a glimpse of his chaser and despaired.  
He had to have been wrong. Because if what he had glimpsed would have been what he thought it was...well, then there was no hope left.

The doctor knew what the men were trying to do. The request for split up had not been for Loki’s sake, it was so that the humans could get their gruppy little hands on his girl and her parts. But then again, even if their motives were wrong, the sentiment wasn't. One of them might stumble on Loki even if he wasn't actively looking. So the Doctor allowed the brothers to start jogging on a different direction from the rest of the group. The Tardis could take care of herself and he had warned the man. If he had any sense in his body, he would listen to the advice given from the owner of the infinite spaceship, while inside said spaceship.  
There hadn't been any sign of Loki so far. The Tardis couldn't help this time, she had enough problems to take care of on her own.   
Even more than enough, it seemed, as the Doctor came to stand in front of the crude message scratched to the wall.  
”ragnarök...”


	15. Journey to the centre of the Tardis part 2

Loki had been running the endless corridors for what felt like an eternity by now. At one point he had been sure that he was running in circles, but then he remembered that this was the Tardis and that circles was ridiculously underestimating the otherworldly moving architecture of the ship. The more apt description would have probably been that he kept circling the same different dimensions of the same corridor.

His magic had settled down somewhat, which had given Loki the blessed ability to think somewhat more clearly again, even if his thought process was nowhere near what he would have wished for it to be.

Seeing a doorway, Loki gratefully opened it and hoped that it would lead somewhere else than another corridor.

And it did. It lead somewhere that was most definitely not another corridor.

Loki had entered a room. A room that made Loki’s mouth gape and breath come short.

There was a tree in the room.

A huge tree, not organic but not inorganic either. Hundreds of branches spraying across the room, each holding glowing fruits, like lamps, but not. Glowing with life.

”Of course. Of course there is the Yggdrasill inside the Tardis.” Loki choked half giggling and half gasping.

Almost fervently, Loki touched one of the fruit-lamps hanging from the branches. It felt like glass, gold and hard, but it hummed against Loki’s hand. Holding out for infinite possibilities. With power to create, to fulfil wishes. With potential Loki had never felt between his fingers before.

”You could take it” whispered a woman’s voice around him.

Loki dropped his hand like it had been burned and started to spin around, trying to find the holder of the voice.

”Here” the voice helpfully said, this time settling in one direction.

Between the glowing branches walked a young woman. She had blond hair and kind brown eyes. Young and short, she made all of Loki’s senses tingle with fear.

”Who are you? What do you want?”

”Don't worry. I'm a friend. At least right now. You won't understand where I came from. You won't understand who I am. You won’t understand how I get here. You won’t even understand what I am.

But I am the Bad Wolf. And I know you, Loki. We are both her children. Her children of time.”

”her-?” Loki started, for which the Bad Wolf girl just smiled and nodded towards the tree. ”her.”

”What are you, wolf? If you claim that we are the same, then do you mean-?”

”Now it is not the time for tales. One day you will understand. But now we are on the edge. She is dying. And the whole of time and space is in danger. Ragnarök is coming.”

”I know. I have seen it.”

”No. You cannot even imagine what is truly happening, or happened, or about to happen. I'm not here to stop it. I'm here to simply ask you a question.”

The Bad Wolf stared at Loki. Her brown eyes looked so normal. So unthreatening and still Loki felt like something ancient and powerful and terrible was judging him.

”Is the universe worth saving?”

Loki didn't answer right away. His first impulse was to say something cutting. Something hurtful, like his answers almost always were, when faced with true sincerity. But now was not the time for lies. The wolf wouldn't accept Loki’s games. Because now Loki could see it. The wolf, the Bad Wolf, whose eyes were shining with golden light, so terrible and beautiful and destructive.

Loki wanted to say yes, because of course it was. Universe was everything and without the universe, there was nothing. But Loki had also seen the thing haunting him. The Ragnarök. The power that it had wielded. The twisted magic. The pain that followed it wherever it went. The universe had allowed for that to be born. The universe had let Angerboda die. The universe had made his entire life into a one great cosmic joke. The universe had made him into...

But the universe didn't revolve around him. He was nothing in this universe. A drop in the ocean, that would disappear without the universe ever noticing.

”yes. Without universe there is nothing.”

”without universe there would be no pain. No suffering. Have you seen all the pain in this universe? “The wolf continued.

”no. And I don't want to. But I don't want to see the nothingness again either.”

”good. Remember that. Hold onto this. Hold onto this memory. When we meet again, I will remind you.”

And just like that, the Bad Wolf girl was gone. Like she never even was here. Had Loki imagined her? Was he going mad?

Feeling spooked, Loki turned tail and existed the room leaving the Yggdrasill behind him. The idea of taking one of the fruits to himself, not even crossing his mind.

 

When the Doctor heard the Tardis call for him in his head, he knew that he shouldn't have let the humans loose on his ship.

Not even bothering to explain to his android companion, the doctor took off running. He had to reach the architectural reconfiguration system before something very bad could happen.

”Stop!” the human was holding a crude sawing equipment and pointing it at the reconfiguration system. How could he possibly look at the one of the most delicate engineering feats of the time lord race and have the first impulse to start tearing it apart.

”please! Don't touch it. She won't let you touch it. She will protect herself if you try to hurt her.”

The human looked still doubtful. ”What the hell is this place?”

Really? After stepping on an infinitive spaceship and the man was still doubting such basic concepts as a sentient vessel. The Doctor loved humans, he really did. But there were moments.

” architectural reconfiguration system. It reconstructs articles depending your needs.”

”a machine that builds machines?”

”yes. Basically”

The man got a glint on his eyes and forcefully yanked one of the parts from its socket. The Tardis screamed in protest and this time even the humans could hear the mechanical screeching filling the room.

When the silence returned, the doorway had disappeared.

Now the doctor felt like screaming. They didn't have time for this. Loki could be anywhere. He could be in danger. He could be hurt. He would be hurt if they didn't find him soon. The Tardis needed help. She was hurting and needed care instead of more ripping apart. The Doctor was praying that the damage wouldn't be as bad as he feared it was, otherwise the timelines would start leaking and then they would be in a mess.

And then there were the monsters. The distortions. Doctor didn't want to think of them. The Tardis was a mess. The monsters could yet be stopped. They were nothing more than glitches. The Doctor would stop them from ever being born, it was still entirely possible.

The android boy was banging the wall where the door had just been. ”this can't be happening.” an android shouldn't feel confusion. An android in his experience wouldn't keep doing something as futile as banging a thick wall.

Every single soul in this ship was neck deep in lies.

Aiming the saw in his hands, the brash and angry dark skinned man started threatening the Tardis. The Doctor felt his hopes slip away. This was a mess even he might not be able to dig them out in the end. Not if he couldn't keep the humans in some kind of control.

When the doorway opened up and the man gloated his victory over the ship, the Doctor feared. The Tardis would not forget. He only hoped that his temperamental ship could forgive.

 

Loki was facing an obstacle. A snarling smouldering obstacle.

It had the basic shape of an asgardian. Two legs, torso and two hands. Legs that were carrying the beast towards Loki and hands that were blindly reaching for their prey. But the thing was more akin to a fire-demon from Muspelheim. Its skin was black, like a roasted animal’s and it still smouldered. Loki could see no eyes or any other facial shapes, other than the mouth open in animalistic roar.

Loki felt the assuring magic inside his veins and readied himself for battle.

The beast reached for Loki with its charred hands, but Loki easily dodged. He wasn't about to let the creature touch him, he didn't know what might happen if he let skin to skin contact happen. Instead he felt the familiar but same time unfamiliar burning in his veins and blasted the creature against the metallic wall.

When his magic touched the beast, Loki felt the familiar agony rip inside his veins. He had overlooked the fact that even if these creatures weren't magical, he was. And apparently these creatures were linked to ragnarök.  

The pain made his vision hazy on the edges and his mind swim.

The pain wanted to make Loki destroy the pathetic monster. It made him want to blast it apart, ground it into dust, so that nothing remained of the wailing creature that was again raising on its feet and attacking.

It made Loki want to hurt it. Make it burn.

This time Loki attacked it, shoving ice inside its guts, ripping them apart. Setting loose fire that ate away the things face, letting loose some vicious magic, tearing and gnawing at the limbs of the monster.

The monster didn't stop. The ice ripping its belly wide open didn't kill it. The fires licking its already charred skin only made it wail and scream, in pain or in anger you couldn't tell. The magic met even stronger magic. A wild dark elemental magic, chaotic and angry magic. Magic that made Loki scream.

When the haze finally settled from his eyes and the drumming noise quieted from his ears, Loki noted that he was no longer fighting. It was quiet and the only noise that Loki could hear, was his own breathing.

The monster had been encased in a block of thick ice. Almost completely ripped apart, but still mouth open in a snarl, hands reaching out.

Loki’s own hands were shaking. Why. He was unscathed. At least he thought he was. He didn't feel any pain. Well, he did, but no more than he had felt before the fight.

”Quite vicious.” said a voice behind him. A woman’s voice again. But different voice than the wolf girl.

The woman who had appeared on the corridor, was again very unthreatening on appearance.

Short curly brown hair and brown eyes. She was dressed in all violet.

”and who might you be?” Loki asked, with much more suspicion and composure this time.

”oh just a girl. Sometimes a serpent. Well I was. Or am. Depends on which space-time dimension you look from. Everything leaves echoes. The serpent never left. Or it did, but not from this never ending moment. One day I will tell you. But you don't need to know it now. From my point of view you already know. It doesn’t matter.”

”I feel like I have had this conversation before. Do you know the Bad Wolf?”

”Yes. We are all connected. We are her children and it makes us family. She needs our help.”

”the Tardis called you.”

”I fear that we will not be enough. It is part of sentient life. Being hurt. Feeling fear. The hate. All around the universe, all the different creatures are connected by their pain. Their fear and longing and denial and hate. I can feel it all. I can feast on it. Or the serpent can. Sometimes I forget where the girl ends and the serpent begins.”

”I'm sure that you didn't come here to preach me philosophy.”

”No. The serpent believes that this is the end. But the girl still hopes.”

”the girl still hopes that I won't turn into, into that.”

”No. You don't understand. Not yet, you aren't allowed to know yet. I have come here to just talk.”

”then let’s talk.”

”you are in great pain, Loki, child of time. You hurt so much. And you fear. You have been betrayed and hurt by those who love you. You are not a monster, just a boy. We all are. Just boys and girls travelling through universe. We have all been hurt. We have all suffered. Some more than others.”

The woman had come to stand right beside Loki, raising her hand to almost touch his face, but letting it linger just inches away from the touch. Her presence felt like the space was reaching for him. She was so close, yet so distant. Like being from entire another dimension, pretending to be near, but in reality being worlds away. A ghost made of stars and unreachable nebulas.

”we are hurt, but we are not alone. We are the children of time. The children of the Tardis. The most unimportant and small beings and at the same time the most important. The ones in the centre of the universe. We are never truly alone. If you will just let us. Tell me, will you allow us to share your pain? Will you allow us to help?”

”Do you truly think that you can help?”

”Do you think that you would let us?”

Loki pondered at the question. The woman hadn't responded to his question. Loki wanted to say no. Loki wanted to push the woman’s hovering hand away. Loki didn't dare to.

”yes. Help me.”

The woman smiled and when Loki blinked, she was gone.

 

The Doctor was stuck in a maze. Tardis wasn't going to let them continue, not before the man would relinquish his hold of the circuit. He had threatened the Tardis and that was something the Tardis wouldn't let go. So they were running along the same crossroads, again and again. Never moving an inch.

”You will have to let that circuit go.”

Instead of doing something that would make some sense, the man decided to keep hold of the circuit and try yet again leave the crossroads. Unsurprisingly, he ended up exactly where he left, cursing like that would help anything.

”the Tardis is creating a labyrinth for us. You threatened to smash down her walls, so now she doesn’t give you any walls to smash up. Just an endless maze that we will never get out of and never find Loki unless you let the circuit go!”

”but how? How is this-?”

”you are in a time lord ship. And if anything else, the time lords were smart. Horrible hats, but smart. Now, let the circuit go, you won't get anywhere with it. We have to find Loki before something horrible happens.”

”What about Bran? He’s there all alone!” tricky demanded. The android again showed himself to be the only one in the bunch worth knowing.”

”Bran! Bran, the ship is alive! Get out of there and don't touch anything!” the android yelled to his communicator. ”You are in danger Bran!”

 

Bran ignored the noise coming from his communicator. What he had just unearthed under the console was something that even his wildest dreams couldn't have conjured up. There was technology in there that could make him the richest man on the galaxy- the richest man on the universe just under his fingertips. Hurriedly descending the ladders, he was already planning on all the things he would buy when he got out of here. Even just one of these parts that made up the console would be worth enough that he wouldn't ever have to worry about money again in his life. He could leave the garbage behind him and retire in the outer reaches of the galaxy.

Ripping some of the glowing wires and stuffing them into his pockets, Bran descended to the bottom of the ladders. Now he needed only choose the most valuable parts and his new life could begin. Well as long as the others would find the boy before the timer would go off. But surely this Doctor couldn't be suicidal enough to not stop the timer before it reached its limits, even if they wouldn't find the boy. What purpose would blowing them all up serve anyway?

This was surely the luckiest day in Bran’s life, because as he thought about the missing boy, he could hear footsteps behind him. They missing boy had found him!

”Well there you are-” he started saying, while turning around. What Bran saw was no boy.

What he did see was beautiful and terrible. Like a wildfire, all consuming, and like a blizzard, deadly and cold. Like a shining star and like the darkness of the night.

”what-?” Bran could only whisper, in the face of his doom.

”I-” it whispered back, its lips not moving in rhythm with its voice and stretching from ear to ear in a grin.

”-am Ragnarök.” was the last thing that Bran heard before his own screams filled the air, his lungs burning up, the eyes bleeding and the skin turning into charcoal.

 

Loki was in the library. The library had always been his favourite place in the Tardis. It was huge, smelled like old books, had little nooks that you could hide for days and contained all the books that he had ever hoped or wanted to read.

The library was his safe place, so it was no wonder that he had decided to gather his thoughts in there.

And he had lots of thoughts to gather. Who were the impossible women? The children of the Tardis. They claimed some connection to him and seemed to know everything about him, but Loki had no idea what had been happening ever since the Tardis crashed. Where was the Doctor? Loki had seen not a glimpse of the Doctor since. Did he even want to see the Doctor again? In all the excitement that was the monster running, he hadn't had lots of time to reflect on his thoughts of the Doctor.

”hey! Pssst!”

Someone was calling from behind the shelves. A woman, again. Now Loki was starting to notice a theme.

”Psst! Loki!”

”And who might you be?” Loki called back.

”I'm not having a conversation by hissing behind the shelves. Where are you?”

”So you aren't omniscient like the rest.”

”are you sassing on me?”

”Are you psssstng me?”

”don't sass me.” came the voice, right next to Loki’s ear. Scrambling for some personal space, Loki eyed his newest personal anomaly.

This one also had big dark brown eyes, shoulder length brown hair, and short but determined stance.

”Well hello there clever boy.”

”And what do you want. Are you going to offer something? Or maybe ask some questions?”

”Nah. I'm just here to chat about the Doctor.”

”Are you now?”

”yes. But let’s move at the same time, you need to be at the console room soon.”

Unlike the others, this girl just grabbed Loki’s arm and started to drag him into the wanted direction. There was nothing otherworldly feeling about the warm hand curled around his arm. The girl’s steps made normal tapping sounds on the Tardis floor.

”So what do they call you then?” Loki asked.

”oh, you know. The impossible girl. Did you know that I'm dead? And alive? At the same time?”

The impossible girl led them towards the exit of the library and carefully peered around the doorway before continuing to lead Loki onwards.

”I got scattered. I'm kind of everywhere. Dying, living, searching, I'm also in the time-stream. And travelling in my own Tardis. Dead, non-existent. Everywhere and nowhere at once. The living dead girl. It's actually quite horrible. Like a leaf in the wind. Even now, I'm screaming somewhere. I’m drifting, always drifting. But do you know why I did it?”

”I have no idea.” Loki answered, very truthfully. He had no idea what the girl was talking about.

”I did it all for the Doctor. I had to save him. But this isn't about me. This is about you, Loki. Pretty, clever Loki. Sad Loki. What would you do for the Doctor?”

Loki stopped and even the impossible girl wasn't impossible enough to get him to move again, no matter how much she tugged. Soon she had to face her defeat and just turn around to face Loki. Hands crossed and lips pouting.

”Is that no for the Doctor then?”

”Is this some kind of a plan?”

”Yes. But you would never guess for what, so don't even try. You will understand in the future. Back to the topic. What do you think of the Doctor?”

”I don't know what to think.”

The brown eyes softened on the girl’s face, when she took more serious tone.

”I know. It's scary. It's confusing. It’s even heart-breaking at the times, but I promise you, the Doctor is not a bad man. Whatever you think of him, whatever you think you see, just remember that the one thing he does, always does, is that he tries. Sometimes he fails, sometimes he succeeds, but he always tries his hardest. And that, I think, is his best quality. He tries. Always tries his hardest. And he needs us. He needs us to keep him trying. He needs us to keep going. He needs you Loki. He needs you.”

The girl took Loki’s hands to his owns and gripped tight. ”The console room. I wish we could do more for you now, but from here on you are on your own. Just remember. We are always with you. All of us.” Then she stepped away from Loki’s way and pushed him on the back. ”console room. Go!”

Loki decided to not push his luck with the omniscient women that kept following him, and started walking on the way that he had been pushed on. He didn't turn back to look when he heard the voice behind him call: “run you clever boy and remember!”

He didn't need to turn back to know that he was alone again.

 

 

”The channel is dead.”

The android’s comment seemed tad unnecessary, after all the screaming and gurgling that they had heard from the communicator, before it started to give only static. The channel wasn't the only thing that was dead and the Doctor knew it.

He had killed him. He had brought them aboard and now one of them was dead.

”You have to help him! Gregor do something!” Tricky shouted, grabbing the older dark skinned man’s shoulders.

”It's too late! Bran’s gone! He’s gone. Let’s just worry about the salvage.”

”You're more worried about a circuit than you are of your own brother!”

No. they had no time to waste for this.

”you're concern for your brother is really touching. The android is more cut up about it than you are. No stop bickering and listen! There is something else in here with us.”

Just on cue, the three of them could hear a growling noise echo through the walls.

The Doctor grasped his screwdriver and started to search for the right setting. With any luck, they still had a change to survive this encounter.

The life form reader informed the Doctor of the identity of their newest threat. Yes, they still had the change to run, it wasn't the other one.

The knowledge that things could have been worse didn't help much when there was a roaring, two headed, mutated, vaguely human shaped creature bursting through the wall and starting to aim for your head with its black, still somewhat burning arms.

”Run!”

 

When Loki reached the console room, he was awaited. There, standing on the bridge, was him.

It was like a distorted image of Loki himself. The same face, the same body, the same hair. Not the same eyes. Its eyes were like dark nebulas, two swirling vortexes of darkness and chaos. Sometimes the outlines of its body seemed to shift and crack, like it was forgetting what shape it was supposed to be in. Like a drawing that had been coloured by an over enthusiastic child and now the colours were leaking over the edges of the shape. The air crackled around it. Sometimes in electrical colours, sometimes the shadows around his frame twisted and circled, like living things. When it grinned its anatomically impossible grin, a swirl of golden light escaped between its teeth. Sharp teeth.

The console room was quiet and the air in there unmoving. Which made it disturbing to see its hair and coat tails flap in a stormy wind, wind that was bothering it in some other dimension, or maybe time.

”So this is where I end up.”

”You are afraid little mortal.”

Its voice was crackling, distorted, and echoing. It didn't even bother to open its mouth when it spoke.

”No I-” would he really be pathetic enough to try lying to himself. Not like this, no. ”How?”

”You have seen the branches of the world tree inside her. They create infinities inside an infinity. Time lord engineering. They created a creation. This is the truth that is hidden inside the ship. Life and death. Never ending cycle of the universe. This is the power of the true gods.”

”and we took it.”

The other one did not bother to reply. It stood there, pulsing. Watching.

Loki did not feel sick or in pain, like one would have thought. No, even in a presence of a paradoxical being of an infinite power calibre, Loki felt nothing. It was terrifying and seductive at the same time. This creature was no longer Loki, this was something that had once been Loki but had long since ascended to something else entirely.

”What do you want from me then?”

It didn't answer. Instead its distorted voice asked another question.

”why shouldn't the world burn. After all, what is there to left for us to savour. There is a destiny for everyone. Do you know why he calls himself the Doctor?”

Loki wasn't sure that he followed the jumping way this conversation was going. It seemed to be best to just go with the flow and jump straight over inconsistences. For the first time in his life, Loki was conversing with someone that Loki could have no hold of with his words.

”I am sure that you are about to tell me.”

”They take their destinies as names. A promise and a prophecy. How-ever you want to try to fit the idea into words. We too have always known. The universe has always known who we are. The end. The destroyer.”

”No, not me. You are not me. Contrary to the popular belief, I know my limitations. I am not a god.-”

”not yet.”

”and I don't want to be. Not the destroyer. Not ragnarök.”

”LIAR!” the ragnarök-Loki screamed in a million voices at the same time.  Appearing just inches away from Loki’s nose.

”and even worse, a fool. You want this. You want vengeance. You want justice. You want to see the world burn for what they have done to you.”

Loki steadied his body against the table, hands gripping the metal like a lifeline, being hardly able to breathe the electrical, magical, sizzling air.

”I don't know what I want.”

”I do.”

 

 

When the Doctor reached the console room, he instantly felt sick. If you would just believe your eyes, there was nothing wrong in the console room. It appeared exactly as it had been when they're expedition left it. Empty and silent.

But trusting your eyes was the last thing you should do inside a Tardis. Instead the Doctor listened to his other, much more accurate senses. While the five common ones that you could find in most of the species across the universe weren't much use right now, the sixth one was giving the Doctor lots of data to play with.

First of all, he had entered an echo. After all this time with the Tardis, the Doctor could recognise an echo with his psychic link blinded.

The other thing that he could sense was the presence in the room. Not in this echo, the other echo.

It was presence strong enough to not go unnoticed even by the others.

”What’s wrong with the room?” asked Tricky, squinting his eyes and shivering.

”This is not the room. It's just an echo. The console room is the safest place on the ship. It can replicate itself any number of times. She's trying to protect us.”

”Against what?” asked George, trying to conceal his fear behind his angry tone.

”against what is in the other echo.”

The lights flared on and then died just as quickly. The walls shook and the glass parts of the console shattered.

”and it’s getting angry”

George had his little scanner on his hands, no doubt anchoring his fear of the unknown, scanning for life forms-

”We need to leave.” the Doctor said, already ushering the two men towards the door that they had come from. It wouldn't be safe to stay this close to the Ragnarok. They just had to pray that Loki was somewhere near enough for them to find in time-

 -One pygmy frost giant, two huma-

”What! Give me that!” the Doctor grasped the device from the bewildered man’s hands and started to fiddle with it. Was Loki, his Loki, in the other echo too?

 

 

”We will burn this world. We will burn Asgard and we will burn Jotunheim. We will burn Malekith and we will burn Odin and we will burn Laufey again. Thanos, The chitauri, Midgard, the cybermen, the weeping angels, the daleks and the time lords. We will burn the Doctor. We will burn everything.”

”burning the entire universe seems a bit much, even for us. I don't think that we have suffered that much.”

”you haven't. I have.”

”I think you went insane on the power.”

The Ragnarök slid back, face twisted with fury, fingers spread and burning with flame like red magic.

Loki glanced his own fingers and could see the same red sheen surrounding them. The same sheen that had surrounded Angerboda’s fingers, not the golden one that he had practiced and grown up with.

Angerboda, with hair and eyes like flames, with dead eyes and bloody corpse.

And the Doctor, who hadn't done anything.

”It has already begun. You can't run. No matter what choices you make. No matter what you do. This is where we will end up. This is your destiny!”

Something dropped on the floor near Loki’s feet. It had appeared out of thin air.

 

The Doctor was frantically working the console, smashing the buttons, making calculations and in frustration even ripping some cables and gadgets off and tossing them over his shoulder. The console was half ripped apart and he didn't have time to fix it properly, right now he needed it to only preform this one thing.

Two metal cylinders disappeared into the thin air before they could hit the ground.

”You mean that the boy is in this room?”

”yes. No. The other echo, yes.”

”and you are going to what?”

”Bring him over here. If I can find his exact location and stabilize the atomic echo switching for long enough to grab him-”

”And what if you bring the monster instead!”

”…..”

 

The cylinders had appeared out of thin air. It had to mean something. 

The Ragnarök-Loki had composed himself again and was now grinning, cloaked in literal shadows.

”what are you getting out of this?” Loki asked trying to keep the conversation on to give himself some time. Also, he was curious. This creature made no sense. Why was it here?

Loki flexed his fingers against the console table, letting tiny, tiny sparks of magic seep into the metal.

”I see what you are doing. It is an echo. This whole place is nothing more than an echo. An echo in the universe, a frozen little snow globe for us to play with. You are in an infinite moment, stretching between the continuum.”

Loki’s fingertips were tingling with information that the Tardis was giving him. This room was an echo. Like a fairy ring, existing in one place and in another at the same time. All he needed to do was to get himself to the other side.

 

”I know where he is!”

”Well that’s great! Are you sure the monster won't come through!?”

The Doctor didn't answer. No he wasn't sure, but the others wouldn't want to hear that. He was also pretty sure that pointing out that if the thing would have wanted to come through, it probably would be able to do it whether they wanted or not.

Flipping his screwdriver open, the Doctor set to work. The atoms wouldn't stay stabilized for long.

 

There was a crack in the air. You couldn't see it, but Loki knew that there was. The Doctor was trying to break the walls between the realities of these rooms. This was Loki’s change. He needed to only aim for the weak spot, rip it open enough for him to escape and then try to mend it from the other side. It might give him some distance from the insane god and Loki would not go down without fighting.

So he let his magic crack the air like a whip and dived.

A hand around his neck stopped him. ”ask him what happened to his other companions.” was whispered into Loki’s ear and then he was free again, falling through the rip across the echoes.

 

The Doctor felt the electrical power of psion-energy hit him straight into face, before he was hit by a lapful of frost giant falling through the rip in the space-time that the Tardis had created.

”uuf”

Loki was big, heavy and had momentum, which meant that the Doctor was soon thrown sprawled to the floor, limbs tangling with those of his companion. It was a painful deja vu of the time his troublesome companion had crashed into his Tardis for the first time.

But his relief was stronger than his discomfort, which is why he tried to reach his arms around Loki in a weird starfish hug.

Loki violently shoved him away and even went so far as to crawl few spaces away from the Doctor, before even starting to get up.

”All right. I get it. No hugging. Ouch.”

Loki’s eyes were wild when he watched the Doctor get up. ”Do not try to touch me again!”

”He's risking our lives for this?” came the whisper of George from somewhere behind him. The Doctor ignored it.

”I'm sorry Loki. So, so sorry. About everything. Now will you please calm down for a second? We have quests.” Doctor waved his hands somewhere in the direction George and Tricky should be standing. Loki noticed the two dark skinned men watching them and replaced the wild burning of his eyes with cold indifference.

”And who are they?”

”Friends. Well people who are not about to kill us. Please don't do anything rash, now’s really not a good time.” Loki said nothing.

”okay, deals a deal.” said George, who had seemingly decided that getting closer to the weird pair having a domestic wasn't life threatening for the others after all.

”you have your boy, now close the countdown.”

”what. Did you call me?”

”ah! ah. Now Loki, he didn't mean anything by it. And well, George, I lied.”

”What!”

”there is no countdown! I just wiggled a few buttons, the old wiggly button trick. And the face, you have to do the face. Save him, or I will kill us all. Honestly, I thought I rushed it a bit, but oh well.”

”are you saying that there is no self-destruct?”

”yes.”

”so we're safe.”

”-ish. Apart from, well, the other things.”

The men didn't look convinced. Loki had turned his back to the Doctor and was leaning against the railing, pointedly ignoring the Doctor.

Look, guys, I'll stop the clock. I only made it look like the engine was going to explode.

The Doctor clicked the command screen alive. It was blinking with the warning light.

The engine was going to explode.

Ah. That would put an interesting spin on things.

”Something you would like to share with the rest of us?” the silky voice of his frost giant companion asked. He sounded bitterly amused by the situation.

This was not helping the trust issues they had going on between them.

”the engine has been overloaded. By this rate, it is going to, well, explode.”

His words were met with silence.

”yes. I know. We are in a bit of trouble.”

”in a bit of a trouble.” Loki’s dark voice interjected again. “Is that how you would call it? Tell me, what will happen if the Tardis engine explodes?”

”Trouble. Well, we will all die. Actually, everything around us will die. Actually-”

”Are you sure? Because there seems to be a future version of myself walking these halls, and it hates you with passion?”

”we will reach the centre and I will promise you. I won't let that happen to you.”

Loki laughed right to his face.

 


	16. Journey to the centre of the Tardis part 3

The whirring of the sonic screwdriver echoed in the metallic corridors. The Doctor was on the lead, Loki walking behind him and the two humans following them, having no other choice if they wanted to live.

You could hear the walls groaning and somewhere far below you could hear roaring. The monsters were moving.

The next time they heard the roar, it came from behind them. The taller one of the humans pushed ahead, afraid of the thing on their heels. Loki let them both pass and let himself drop behind of the group. He wasn't afraid of the roaring monsters. He had already fought and killed one, he could do it again. Loki turned around and turned where he thought he had heard the voice of the monster come through.

What he found wasn’t a monster.

”Oi! Spaceman!”

The woman had red hair and expression to send a bilgesnipe running. She also disappeared the next second, before Loki had any time to react, dissolving like an illusion.

Turning around in circle, he came face to face with a man dressed in the longest scarf he had ever seen and curly mob of inky hair. He was running along the corridor, never even seeing Loki.

Illusions. They were illusions all of them.

”c'mon Susan!”

”hello sweetie.”

”reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.”

”Loki!”

The hand gripping Loki’s shoulder belonged to the Doctor. The real tangible Doctor.

”we have to go. Fast. The Tardis is leaking.”

”Are they from the past or the future?”

”past. Tardis got pretty damaged by the salvage vessel and its magno-grip. The past is starting to leak.”

” And the future has already leaked”

”We will stop it.”

”Are these your former companions?”

Loki looked at the Doctor’s face when he asked the last question. He looked as the Doctor’s eyes grew old and regret crept to his brow.

”Yes.”

”What happened to them?”

The Doctor seemed torn, emotions battling behind his eyes. ”I will tell you later.”

Loki started to doubt that there would be any later.

 

They had gotten exactly seven steps ahead, when the monster found them. It was even bigger than the one Loki had fought before, two headed and twice the size of the last one. Loki wasn't afraid of it.

The same couldn't be said for the Doctor who gripped Loki and started running.

”C'mon Loki!”

”No! Stop! I can fight it!”

”No you won't!”

”Watch me!” Loki snapped, yanked his arm back and turned around to face his enemy. It wouldn't stand the change. Not against Loki’s rage.

”No!” the Doctor had appeared in front of him and was pushing Loki back with all his power. It wasn't doing much.

”Get out of my way!”

”No, it is playing you. It wants you to be angry and brutal. Just turn around and run. You don't have to fight.”

”What?”

”Don't you understand. Those creatures are linked to him. The Ragnarök. It created them for you to kill. It is trying to create itself. We don't have to let it happen. Let’s just run.”

Loki didn't want to run. Loki wanted to rip the wailing monster apart piece by piece.

”But if they were created- the humans. They are the humans from the future. But I already killed one?”

”there was three of them when we started.”

”I-Fine.” and they both ran, but Loki refused to grip the Doctors hand, even if the Doctor tried.

Couple turns later and they manged to cheat the monster into chasing after one of the ghosts, (A dark skinned girl in a red leather jacket) which meant that they could halt back to walk again.

”If the Tardis explodes, will I turn into that. The Ragnarök.”

”Maybe. If the Tardis explodes, who knows, anything could happen. There was once a girl that looked into the time vortex inside the Tardis. She became, well she became many things but she gained something from the vortex and she was the most ordinary human you can imagine. So very, very human, ordinary humany human. But you, you have energy in your veins, you are different. You survived the void, who knows what else you might survive. Especially now that you have some magic back”

There was a whooshing sound and the next that Loki knew, he was staring at a metal beam that had buried itself through the wall, just inches away from his face.

”It wasn't a welcome to start testing his survival!” the Doctor shouted at the walls. The walls just groaned ominously again.

”Oh no. She's starting to break apart even physically.”

”So what now?”

”Now we run and dodge!”

 

Loki and the Doctor managed to not get themselves pierced by the erratically bursting beams, but the other two were not so lucky. The android one, Tricky, had a metal beam embed straight through his shoulder, when the time lord and the frost giant found them.

”I'm an android! Just cut my arm off!” the smaller man pleaded, his face twisting in agony.

”Tricky, you don't understand-” George started, letting his sentence die out, while trying to unsuccessfully pull the beam off.

The Doctor eyed the scene before him. The younger one pleading and not understanding why the older wouldn't cut him. The older one staying quiet, letting the ridiculous farce continue even then.

”Tell him. The Doctor commanded. Tell him the truth.” George stayed quiet, still working on the beam, not even able to meet the Doctors eyes.

”you can't, can you. You're a coward.”

”What is he going on about” Tricky wheezed between his teeth.

”Robots don't need blast suits, don't feel pain or fear the monsters in the dark. You are not an android.”

”What?” Tricky breathed out, barely hearable.

”Two bionic eyes” the Doctor read from his whirring screwdriver, “and a synthetic voice box. You my friend are human. Flesh and blood.”

The older human deflated like a balloon. ”It was just a joke. A stupid joke to relieve the boredom.”

”Well it was very funny. You changed another human’s entire identity to get some cheap entertainment. Well the jokes over.”

”I'm sorry.”

”Cut the beam!” the Doctor barked out, ignoring the awkward fidgeting of the older man.

While George worked on the beam, the Doctor checked on Loki standing behind him. There was a cold murder glinting there on his eyes that made shivers go down the Doctor’s spine.

How much worse could the situation get?

 

The beam didn't give in easily, not even under the strong cutter that George was wielding, but eventually it creaked and the sawblades fell through the metal. The Doctor was already there, supporting the smaller human and looking at the damage. The task would have been easier if the family drama could have been postponed for some further time.

”Who does this to another human being!? Who am I?!”

”Sit down, I need to see your wound.”

”My mouthy kid brother. There was a salvage accident. You lost your voice eyes and memory.”

”So you just thought to have little fun! Wha-!”

”Stop shouting! Both of you!”

”you were always the small one. But he made you the captain.”

”He?”

”Dad.”

”Can't this wait! You are bleeding Tricky, you need to stay calm and stay still. We'll sort this out.”

”You did this to me just to be a captain of a heap of junk!”

”Shut up! Both of you! You, Tricky, you're brother refused to cut you up and now you have to ask yourself why. Because that was the only scrap of decency that he has left inside him. And you, George, I'll hope you're learning something. Now, we need to-”

”groaaaraargh!”

”It is coming. It’s going to find us.” said Loki.

”We need to move.” The Doctor said, grabbing Tricky and starting to support him into standing position.

Loki was watching them. His eyes were glinting violence, but they weren't focussed on Tricky or the Doctor. He was staring over their shoulders.

”Loki no, you cannot-” the doctor pleaded when the asgardian gathered the red magic on his fingertips and sprinted past them.

There was an agonized roar, which for the Doctor’s relief did not belong to George. Or did, but not the George of right now.

Craning his neck, the Doctor could see Loki, lightning fast and brutal, combatting the monster from the possible future, tricky and George, like they should never become.

The George of right now came to support his little brother from the other side. It gave the Doctor more freedom to partially turn and see how Loki was doing.

The monster was clawing at Loki, angry, frantic and mindless. But Loki was fast and his flames kept the monster occupied as his ice at the same time tried to freeze the creature’s legs in place.

With a yell full of rage, Loki drove his hand straight into the monsters adjoined stomach. It roared in pain as the ice started to rip it from the inside. Loki’s other hand shot up and punched the head that got too close to biting him.

Loki yanked his blue hand out of the creature’s stomach and settled them both around the other heads throat. With one agile move, his legs shot up, settled around the other neck and then there was some weird twisting move that ripped the other head straight off.

The Doctor went cold. This Loki, covered in ashes and burns, hair wild and eyes wild looked so much like the other, the Ragnarök-Loki looked.

With a savage kick against the remaining throat, Loki got the other head to roll as well.

In the corridor stood Loki, hair wild, dirt and other things dripping from his face and the red magic still dancing on his fingertips

”he's coming. The Ragnarök is coming.” Loki said.

 The Doctor was afraid.

”Okay, c'mon Loki. We need to move on. As long as we mess up the time line, we will be fine. All of us!”

”yes. The timeline must be interrupted. The brothers cannot be allowed to die together.”

”Loki!”

”it is the only sure way, Doctor, and you know it.”

Loki’s voice had gone dark, while he walked towards them.

”LOKI NO!”

”TRICKY!”

Tricky twitched once before going limp in their arms. The icicle turning red while the blood bubbled from his throat.

The Doctor stared at the blood drops on his hands.

”YOU MONSTER!”

”Oh don't pretend that you cared about your brother.”

The Doctor stared. This was Loki, his companion. His sweet, vulnerable, clever companion who had just murdered an innocent man in cold blood. His insecure and gentle and self-sacrificing companion, whose skin was dirtied with blood and whose eyes...whose eyes looked lost.

”You didn't have to do that.”

”But I did. He was already mortally wounded, he wouldn't have made it here alive anyway.”

”you didn't have to do that.”

”yes, he did.” echoed the pleased voice of the Ragnarök.

Looking over Loki’s frozen shoulder, the Doctor could see the Ragnarök standing in the hallway, silent and ethereal, like a nightmare made flesh.

”RUN! Everyone run!” the Doctor screamed and made to grab for George, still kneeling on the floor, cradling his fallen brother.

”No! I won't leave him!”

”You must! Screamed Loki, using his superior strength to haul the grief stricken human on his feet and away from the body on the floor.

”LET GO OF ME YOU MONSTER!”

Loki’s grip faltered for a second, which was enough for George to slip free and run back to his brother.

”I won't leave you again Tricky.”

Ragnarök smiled as he placed his hands over both of the human’s heads and started burning them, melting them, fusing them.

Loki had gone deathly pale and still, staring what was happening on the other end of the corridor. ”No, No, this wasn't supposed-you can't-I won't-no.” he kept whimpering, still not running.

”Run Loki!”

The Doctor had to physically haul the frost giant into movement, before the shock seemed to melt off of him and he started running, running like a hunted animal.

 

Loki felt numb. It was like he had entered a particularly realistic nightmare, expect that he wasn't afraid. He just...was. He was running, wondering whether the horror would strike him at some point, or whether he would just keep floating in the numbness for the rest of his life.

The Doctor guided him and finally ushered him through a door.

That was when the reality seemed to snap back in Loki’s brain. Which was quite ironic considering that what waited on the other side of the door, was a star.

”What-?”

” The eye of harmony. Time lord engineering. You take a dying star out of its orbit, freeze it in an act of becoming a black hole, and keep it in an permanent state of decay, and voila! You can power a time machine.”

Loki stared. It was a star. A dying star, right there, close enough for him to almost touch.

Time lord engineering indeed...

The door that they had just closed behind them shattered into million tiny pieces and the form of the Ragnarök-Loki stepped through.

”You can't fight against me.”

Standing in the light of the dying star, the Ragnarök looked most real that Loki had ever seen him. They were the same. The star suspended into its own collapse and the monster. Most powerful in the brink of its own death. Suspended in time.

”That’s why we won't fight you.” the Doctor quipped, whipping his screwdriver from his pocket. ”the Tardis will.”

When they were both on the other end of the bridge, the Doctor pointed his screwdriver towards the ground and the metallic bridge crossing the room gave up. All its bolts and nails opened and the whole structure pummelled deep into the fiery chasm.

The Ragnarök standing on it didn't move an inch. Staying standing on the thin air, just like nothing.

”The physical world has little of interest for me.”

”Well, the Tardis isn't all about the physical world anyway” the Doctor whisked his screwdriver into the air and at the same time throwing himself and Loki through the doorway, slamming the door shut with his own bodyweight just seconds before the explosion rocked the hinges.

While this explosion was happening mostly in the dimensions between, the force of it was enough to affect the physical gravity enough to throw both the Doctor and Loki into soaring through air and landing- landing on Loki’s case into hard ground, sloping down, legs already dangling over nothing, understanding with sudden clarity that there is nothing to grasp as the ground slides away between his fingers...

And then there is a hand grapping his own. There is the Doctor, holding on, holding the dangling Loki from falling off the edge.

”Hold on!” the Doctor commands, like Loki has any other choice.

”The Ragnarök-”

”Has to get through hell of a lot of messy echoes. It should give even him some challenge.”

”Where-?”

”Near the heart of the ship. She’s protecting herself by creating the ultimate protection.”

”Doctor I-”

”I'm sorry Loki. So, so sorry. It wasn't supposed to go like this. None of it was supposed to go like this. I am truly sorry.”

”you-what? No. Let me go. Let me fall.”

”NO! I will not let you go. No!”

”Don't you see. If I die now, in here, if you let me fall into the eternity that the Tardis has created, I won't turn into that. The time lines can still be rewritten.”

”NO! Not an option. I have already lost so much. I have lost everything that I have ever loved. I have seen things- No! I will not lose you like this.”

”I'm sorry Doctor. I never wanted to become a monster. I just-”

”Shhh. You’re not a monster Loki. It’s alright,”

”-I just, I was so afraid. I was hurt, I'm sorry.”

”Yes it' alright. I know, I-”

The Doctors eyes grew large and his hands gripped Loki’s own even tighter.

”Of course! Yes! That's what it always is, isn't it. We were all just hurt and scared. You, me, the brothers, even the Ragnarök, but most of all, the Tardis. She's the one who has suffered the most and now she’s snarling at us.”

”What-?”

”Loki, this isn't real. She's just trying to scare us away. She’s snarling.”

”You mean the fall.”

”Yes. Do you trust me, no stupid question, could you trust me this one time-”

”Yes.”

”Really?”

”Really. Or at least I want to. I want to trust you. I want to believe in time lords and that they watch over the nice children sleep. I want to trust someone.”

”Okay. Okay.”

And then the Doctor jumped off the cliff with Loki.

 

Loki woke up in a white room to someone pocking his side.

”Wakey, wakey, clever boy Jr.”

Turning his head to the side, Loki could identify his poker. The impossible girl.

She wasn't alone, the other two were there with her, the wolf and the serpent.

And him. The Ragnarök was there standing calmly alongside the women, watching.

Loki stood up, feeling just a tad bit surreal.

The Doctor was also there, but he was lying on the floor, unconscious.

”So this is it then.”

”depends on your definition of it” the woman in purple answered, smile dancing on her lips.

”You made it to the heart.” the blond woman started telling. “Unfortunately, as you can see, the engine has already exploded.”

Loki could see it. There were flying pieces of an engine floating in the air, like someone had taken an explosion and frozen it in time.

”the Tardis protected herself by temporarily time locking the explosion. Of course it won't hold for forever.

”So there was never anything to be done from the beginning?”

”there were many things to be done, but not to the engine. Which is good, because the engine is fixable.”

”But you just said-”

”You think we cannot rewrite a timeline this jumbled and on the verse of collapsing.” chuckled the Ragnarök. ”I came here for a reason and now it has been fulfilled.”

”I knew you wouldn't want to really start an apocalypse.” the woman in purple said, grapping the Ragnarök-Loki’s hand.

”It's not how we do things anyway.” the blond girl continued. Grapping the other hand of the Ragnarök-Loki.

”we will put things right again. Don't worry. You might not remember everything, and we will be the hardest part to remember. But we are here. We are always here for you. For all of us.”

”I fear that we must go back now. But it was nice meeting you again, Loki.” said the purple one. Like on que, a rip started to form in the air. In the rip Loki could see shapes, people with smiling faces and kind eyes.

”Wait! Who are you what did you want from me. From the Doctor. I don't understand!”

”well, like our dear friend would say, spoilers.”

With that the four of them disappeared into the rift, leaving one very bewildered frost giant behind.

It didn't take long for a weird floaty feeling to envelope Loki and soon the unconsciousness hit him again.

 

Loki woke in the Tardis console room.

”What?”

”And here I was hoping that you could tell me” came the voice of the Doctor beside him.

 

 

Picking up the pieces of what had happened was not done in one night. But they worked on it.

 

The Doctor took Loki on a tour through the memory room. He picked up pieces and knick-knacks, telling the stories behind them. He didn't always tell everything and stayed only on the happy stories. Stories of fierce Amy, loyal Rory, strong Donna, wild Leela, kind Jo, flirty Jack, clever Sarah-Jane, the stories went on. Loki listened and let the Doctor keep parts of the stories to himself. They were both trying.

 

Loki apologised to the Tardis.

 

Loki told the Doctor about the women he had met in the Tardis in the paradox timeline. The former companions as he had found out from the Doctor’s stories. The Doctor had to take some time for himself after that. It was a subject that had no explanation and both decided to not to talk of it after that.

 

The Doctor paid a visit to the battered salvage vessel, determined to right some wrongs.

 

Loki wanted to know how the frost giants respect their dead. The Doctor told him and together they held the ceremony over the silent, centuries old ruins.

 

One day the Doctor asked Loki if he would like to see Gallifrey.

”I don't understand, there's nothing in here expect empty space...”

”I know. Sit down, I'm going to tell you about what happened to Gallifrey.”

 

And together they fixed the rift between them and could learn to laugh once again.


	17. second interlude in Jotunheim

”Hey.” It was an unusual scene to be seen on the Tardis. The Doctor was having a quiet moment. The usually hyperactive time lord was sitting on the doorstep of the Tardis, feet dangling over space and tea cup steaming on his hands.   
”Hey.” Loki dropped to sit next to him. ”I have been wondering...”  
”Go on.”  
”my attack towards Jotunheim. Is it fixed point?”  
”You want to change it.”  
”Wouldn't you?”  
”I understand where you're coming from. Still changing your own history, we can't let the time lines cross that way-”  
”I know that. We can't go to Asgard to stop me. Those sins are not changeable. But Jotunheim-”  
”You want us to- Oh! Oh you are brilliant!” the Doctor sprung to his feet spinning around. ”Of course. You are brilliant, Loki!” The Doctor gripped Loki’s outstretched hand and helped him also back to his feet. Kissing Loki’s cheek in excitement. ”Let’s go then my clever frost giant!”

In Jotunheim a young frost giant was kneeling in the small sanctuary. The little temple was carved of stone and ice. The small enchanted flames were the only light breaking the dull darkness inside.   
The young frost giant was named Gerd and he had come to pray for peace. Gerd had never been religious, he had listened to the stories of the great parent Ymir, and then promptly forgotten them. He had trained as a warrior, shaved his head and learned the art of combat, but that had not in the end been his path. He had grown tired of the war, of the brutality in the training and most of all he had grown tired of the capital. He had been noticed for his skills in battle and been even given the place to train in the royal troops, to maybe one day become part of the royal guard. Gerd had declined. He knew that he could not last the harsh reality of being in the king’s troops and having to live in the capital. Instead he had returned to his home village. Small little community just outside the capitals walls, but far enough that Gerd felt comfortable. His childhood home, where he could help his elderly mother and change military order of the capital to the comfortable community of home.   
But now he was praying. Just few days ago there had been confrontation on the bifrost landing site. It had been ages since the bifrost had been active last time, and the king’s troops had responded immediately. Gerd thanked the eternal snows that the attack had not reached his little village.   
But it was a bad sign. Asgardians attacking Jotunheim, the rumours of the king growing restless.   
So Gerd had come to pray.   
The little temple was officially not in use and in ruins, but behind the broken visage, there was well kept sanctuary, lit with just few flames. King Laufey had unlawed all religions when he had risen to power, but people’s faiths lingered on, even after the raid of the palace of ancient winters.   
There was a little secret compartment hidden in Ymir’s altar. Usually Gerd would not have cared for such superstitions, but now Gerd was willing to try anything. So he opened the little hidden flask and pulled the secret object out. It was a small bone. Grown smooth under all the hands that had held it, but still recognisable as a finger bone. The story told that it had once belonged to Angerboda, the last protector of the palace, and ward to its last greatmeister. Angerboda had been last of the great sorcerers of the realm, and some still believed that touching his finger bone would grant luck and favour from the spirits all around them.   
Gerd had never believed that the ancestors and heroes were looking over them, but nevertheless Gerd smoothed his thumb over the finger bone.   
”Vorp vorp”  
Gerd tensed. There were voices coming just outside the temple. He couldn't identify the voice, but at these times it was always better to be safe than sorry. Gerd silently creeped to the door, opening it only enough to sneak a peek outside.  
Gerd had no idea what he was seeing. There was a great blue box outside and out of it was stepping a very weirdly dressed aesir and an dwarf jotun dressed like an aesir. Gerd pondered his options. He could hide inside and hope that he wouldn't be noticed. But then it was entirely possible that those two suspicious individuals would make their way to the village. Gerd also knew that he was the only one in the village with royal combat training. He made his decision.  
”Halt!”  
The two stopped and spun around to face Gerd, who was now wielding his ice spears in both hands, ready to leap.  
”Oh great! A local! You are exactly who we need. Listen we have very important-”  
”State your intentions and on whose bussiness you have come here.”  
The aesir looked discouraged by Gerds hard voice, but the little jotun stepped forward. ”We are here to offer our help. You must listen to us!”  
”Who are you!”  
”I'm the Doctor, he's Loki. Look that's not important-”  
”Loki? You are dressed as an asgardian and travel with an asgardian-”  
”If you are thinking of the prince Loki of Asgard, you are wrong. Obviously. This Loki is a jotun. Look, blue skin and all. And I... well it's a long story,”  
”You expect me to believe-”  
”you're all going to die!” the small jotun shouted. Both the so called doctor and Gerd shut up and turned to look at the shaking jotun. There was desperation on his eyes.  
Gerd lowered his spears slightly, the little one was clearly distressed and Gerd doubted that it was fake.  
”Fine, talk, but if I think for a second that the two of you are a threat...” Gerd lifted his sharp spear.  
Both of the newcomers raised their hands trying to look as unthreatening as possible. It was the one who had given Loki as his name who started talking.  
”There is an attack coming. Asgard is going to activate the bifrost and try to use its power as a weapon of mass destruction.” Gerd looked at them disbelievingly. ”I know this will sound mad, but it is the truth. The centre of the attack will be on the bifrost landing site and that village down there is going to be wiped out!”  
Gerd drew a breath in horror. The tale sounded mad, how could they even know...but if what these people were claiming was true, then...the village! Could he take the risk?   
”You are going to come down with me. The elders will decide what to do with you.”

The four elders scrutinised the two outsiders.  
”And how exactly have you gained this information?”  
”We-” but the Doctor was not allowed to finish his sentence before Loki cut him over.  
”Spying. Few days ago a small group made their way to Asgard, trying to gain back the casket of ancient winters. Most of them were killed, but I survived. Our act was what prompted the prince of Asgard to lead an attack to here.”  
The crowd started whispering, these were facts that were known, through rumours, but known anyway.   
”Hiding in Asgard I met him.” Loki nodded towards the Doctor. ”he was sympathetic to my blight and helped me to escape back to...home. But while in Asgard I found out about the plan that the...younger prince of Asgard is planning to execute. Please, you are all in great danger.”  
Gerd narrowed his eyes. It was clear that he did not believe the story. Luckily he did not speak out his suspicions. The other jotuns in the group were whispering to each other, but the general mood of the group seemed to warm up to the new comers.  
”how can we trust you? For all we know this could be an asgardian ploy to make us even more vulnerable.”  
”What would the asgardians gain by it. I don't care where you go or what you do now, as long as you leave the area. Evacuating will not put you in any harm, but staying here definitely will.”  
Loki was getting desperate. Every minute was a minute closer to the bifrost opening and by then these people could not be here. He had to save them. Absolutely had to.   
”He lies!”  
Loki felt dread creep into his veins. The shouter standing on the back of the group. An ordinary looking frost giant that to Loki looked just like all the other big bald warriors. Maybe a bit more elderly looking, but honestly, Loki could not judge jotun appearances that well.  
”He is the second prince of Asgard. The younger prince is a known sorcerer, he is trying to trick us by wearing our skin. But I recognise him, I was there that day when the asgardians attacked. I was one of the lucky survivors, but once I got close enough to the aesirs that I can recognise the younger prince.”  
”no I-”  
”he's come here to trick us all into our deaths. Asgardians have no love for the jotuns, it is known.”  
”please-!”  
”Seize them. Seize them both.”

”Well technically they were not wrong. Expect that death thing. That was a bit of a stretch.”   
”You are not helping Doctor.”  
”You should have let me do the talking.”  
”I would have done that and we would probably already been executed.”  
”Are you sure that now is the time and place.”  
”To insult you, always.”  
”I guess I have to prove you my people skills, again.” the Doctor banged on the wall off their little make shift prison. ”Hey. We have an offer to make!” silence. ”You do not want to miss out on this, really you want to hear us out.” more silence. ”How long do you think before Odin is going to come knocking on your doorsteps. Nobody is going to be happy then, expect if you hear my offer where everybody wins!” the doorway opened up an inch and a cautious looking red eye peeked in. ”Talk.”  
”Great, I knew we could get along. Now, you have the prince of Asgard on your hands and we have...well we don't really have anything on our side. But I'm guessing that you are going to turn us in for the king?”   
”That is none of your business asgardian.”  
”okay, let’s pretend that that is the case. Now, crown prince of Asgard is worth a lot, maybe even worth the casket. You with me?” the red eye stayed impassive. ”So, you let me go, just me mind you, so I can travel to Asgard and tell Odin that if he wants his son back he will have to give up the casket. Neat and tidy. I even have this box I can travel with, if you just escort me to where we came from, I can hop in and the casket will be yours in no time.”  
”No.” the door banged shut again. ”Wait! Wait! Will you at least bring Gerd here!” silence greeted them once again.  
”wow. I tremble before your magnificent people skills.”   
”oh, shut up.”  
for their surprise it didn't take long for the door to open up again and for their even greater surprise, it was Gerd who stepped in. ”You had asked for me.”  
”Oh yes! Thank rassilon! You magnificent person, you came.”  
”What did you want?”  
”You saw us come here. Tell me, do you think that something weird is going on?”  
Yes, Gerd thought that several weird things were going on, but he was not going to say that to the asgardians.  
”Of course you do, you saw the Tardis after all, but listen. Now we are going to tell you the truth and it is going to be mad, weird and impossible, but please, please just listen to our story!”  
Gerd had his suspicions, but he couldn't help but be intrigued. Without truly being able to even explain it to himself, Gerd shut the door behind him and nodded. ”Speak then. I doubt your tales can truly get any crazier than what you have already tried to make us believe.” The young prince started laughing.

It got crazier. It got so much crazier. Gerd could feel anger and disappointment towards himself. He had went and actually believed that they would have something worthwhile to say. Instead it became clear that either the prisoners were mocking him or they were truly lunatics.   
”I know it sounds mad, but if you would just take us to the Tardis, we could prove everything to you-”  
”You are either mad or suicidal. And in either case I will not take you to your ship.”  
”listen. I am not your enemy. Not anymore at least. I walked the halls of the palace of ancient winters. I spoke and ate and danced with the jotnar of that time and I loved that place. I have been foolish but I am trying to right my wrongs.”  
”You claim to have walked the halls of the palace. You weren't even born when it still stood.”  
”no I wasn't, but you see, I have a time lord on my side. And I was not lying.” Loki cupped his hands and let his magic gather on his palms. The red sheen started to shape in to the beautiful palace as Loki could remember it. The graceful archways and the domes. ”Angerboda is the only reason I even have magic anymore.” Loki let his shape change again. Letting his features be taken over by the softer ones and red taking over the black in his head. ”He was kind to me.”  
Gerd stared at the new face staring back at him. It was impossible. Just like the frozen pictures hidden deep in the dark, never talked about, but silently admired in secret. Flame red hair that even the jotnar dared to look only when nobody else could be there to see this figure of rebellion.   
Gerd stared. Rationally he knew that this must have been another trick by the sorceress to trick him, but some part of him wanted to believe. Gerd remembered praying for protection from the long dead heroes and stared.  
”I would be betting everything on the off change that your impossible story was true.”  
”thank you!” said the voice that Gerd had never heard before, but that he had always imagined to hear in the wind and in the silence around him when he had thought of the dead hero.

The Doctor cheered in relief when seeing the familiar shape of the Tardis sit on the white ground. ”Oh sexy. Am I glad to see you!” in the heat of the moment the Doctor ended up kissing the wooden doorframe. If Gerd hadn't thought of him to be entirely mad before, he sure did now. The Doctor didn't care. He was with the Tardis, which meant that things were going to be okay again.   
The Doctor’s tender moment with his ship was interrupted by a distant rumble.   
”What-?”   
”Into the Tardis! Now!”  
Gerd looked like he was going to protest, but the Doctor right now did not have time for this. So instead he dashed into the Tardis and swept Gerd inside the flying Tardis, not caring how loudly the frost giant screamed.

Loki was sitting on his cell, hands wound around his legs and chin resting on his knees. He felt small and vulnerable. While Loki didn't doubt the Doctor’s intentions, he still felt fear. Would he die here, alone in Jotunheim, killed by himself? There was a kind of sick poetic justice to the idea. Nobody would ever find out what happened to him. It didn't really matter, his family already thought him dead. Only the Doctor would know. Would he mourn? Or would he just grab another companion to travel the universe with. Then Loki would be just another echo in the Tardis.   
Loki was shaken out of his musings when he felt the ground beneath him to start vibrate. Loki felt numb. He knew what was coming. 

When the Doctor landed in the village centre, the whole place was already in chaos. People could feel the ground shaking beneath them, could see the faint light of bifrost site starting to activate, building up power. The Doctor looked at the panicked jotuns running around and pushed Gerd out of the door. ”You! Get everyone in the Tardis! It is the only way to save everyone.”  
”But how-?”  
”Right now you will just have to trust me! Get them inside or all of them will be dead! I will trust you with this!”  
”What about you?!”  
”I will go to gather Loki. Start working, chop, chop!”  
The Doctor sprinted along the slippery ground, both hearts beating as fast as possible.

The cell door opened with a bang and the familiar sight of the Doctor filled the doorway. ”Doctor!”  
”You idiot! Why didn't you break out! We are in someone’s cellar after all! Have you been just sitting here?”  
”I thought it was all already-”  
The Doctor slapped him in the face. ”What? Over? Don't you ever dare to give up like that again!”  
Loki smiled, giddy with relief. ”Is the Tardis-?”  
”on the town centre, cm'on!”

The two travellers ran the twisting paths back towards the town centre. The few jotuns they encountered seemed happy to obey the only people who had any suggestions on to what to do and headed to the town centre. In their path Loki saw a small fluffy white creature that he had no idea what it was, but it was very fluffy, so he ended up scooping it up on his arms.  
Gerd had taken over the situation effectively back at the centre. The population of the village was not big, for their luck and had almost entirely been escorted into the Tardis. The light coming from the sky was starting to become blinding. They had no more than seconds to lose.   
”Everyone has been seen inside-” Gerd called out for the sprinting pair. ”Good!” the Doctor bellowed back, not even breaking stride and with his momentum, pushed Gerd in. Loki was the last one to jump in, still clutching the fluffy creature, before the blinding light swallowed everything around them. The voice was almost like force of nature, before Doctor reached for the door and slammed it shut.   
The silence was almost unnatural, created by near hundred beings holding their breaths, nervously looking around, waiting to see what would happen next.  
The Tardis had redecorated herself to easily fit the massive frost giants, and cooled her room temperature to make her visitors more comfortable.  
”Fluffy!” was the first bright childish voice that broke the silence. A small frost giant child came pushing his way through the masses and rushed to where Loki was still shakily standing.  
”You saved Fluffy!” the child cried out, red eyes shining brightly.  
Loki looked at the child bewilderedly, then looked at the white creature still on his arms. The creature looked back with its black eyes. ”Mrogh” Loki just gave the creature back to the child, still at loss at what to say. ”Fluffy!” the child cried out, snuggling his pet. ”thank you!” Loki just nodded.

”What are we going to do now?” Gerd asked them looking at the scenery before him, just like everyone else. The ground had been incinerated, leaving nothing but black marks. ”I don't know. Where do you want to go? We can drop you off anywhere.” the Doctor turned his head to look at Loki, who was standing alone, looking at the destruction he had created. Always somebody would try to approach him, trying to thank Loki for warning them and saving their lives, but Loki would just turn away.   
”is it true then what you told me. That he is the prince and behind this attack.”  
The Doctor eyed Gerd up and down. There seemed to be no maliciousness in his eyes. Only curiosity. ”Yes. I'm afraid it is. But he has changed. He truly regrets.”  
”I will not tell the others that part. I will let them believe that sometimes prayers can be answered and that time lords watch over the children from the night sky.”   
The Doctor laughed silently at that.


	18. hide part 1

HIDE

 

A storm was raging on the sky. Big fat drops of water were being thrown around by the unmerciful winds and smashed against the wooden walls of a house standing all alone on the hill, braving the weather. The house was not small, so for now it was braving well against the weather. It had been build long ago by someone who had wanted to get away from the golden halls of the city but hadn't had wanted to give up the comforts of spacey halls and numerous rooms.

Whatever had the intentions of the builder been, they hadn't stuck around to fulfil them. The house had stood abandoned for ages now, the furniture dusting and the fireplace cold.

Until for today, it had been an empty and desolate place. Now it was still desolate, but less empty.

”Is it ready?” Asked a man inside the house. He was broad-shouldered, grim looking man with grey on his hair, and hard eyes. The man was a soldier, you could see it miles away by the way he walked and held himself.

”Yes, it is ready.” answered a woman, also in the house. She had her hair neatly braided and her soft eyes spoke not only of her gentle soul, but also of great determination and strength. She was a sorceress, as was made clear by the short staff, made in likeness of a spinner’s distaff.

”are you sure that you want to go through with this?” asked the man, gruff concern lining his voice. ”The last time was-”

”She's so lonely.” interrupted the woman. Her hands were placing the rune stones on their places, making sure that every last detail was correct for the ritual. ”I will do what I can to help her.” she was determined and her hands neatly finished their task, like they had done so many times before. When the rune stones were in place, she stood to her full height, which wasn't much, and dusted her skirt.

”I will begin.” she stated, her brown eyes meeting those of the man and shoving more understanding than her professional tone would have given out.

The man nodded and stepped back. His hand kept twitching on his side, hoping to meet the hilt of a sword that was not there.

The sorceress started chanting, her voice was low and steady, letting the runes flow around her, dropping them into the air and letting them twist and spin till they formed the network that she wanted them to form. And then she started singing the runes faster and stronger.

The atmosphere started to change, it was heavier, more suffocating, and even breathing was becoming a task. Still the sorceress kept singing. The runes that she used were all spelling the same things, home, speech, guidance.

The man’s hands twisted into fists when the woman started to sway on her feet, she was deep into trance now, letting the runes fall on her lips in quick succession, eyes closed and voice feverish.

She started to gasp between her breaths and then even the man could see it.

The shape reaching for the sorceress, blurry, only staying in place for less than blink at a time.

The man rushed to the woman’s side and gripped her on the shoulders, dragging her away from the reaching fingers.

The spell was broken, the woman slumped in the man’s arms, gasping for breath. The shape was gone, the air felt free again.

”Eira! Eira!” the man kept repeating, trying to shake the woman back to this world.

”She is so- so-”

”What?”

”Dead.”

There was a heavy knock on the door, giving both of them a good startle.

The man gripped his sword from where it was hanging on the doorway before slowly opening the heavy wooden door.

”BOO!” exclaimed the man on the other side, jumping from the side, grinning like a madman and dressed like one too. The man with a sword had never seen the likes of the bow that was tied around the stranger’s neck, or the purple jacket that he had on his shoulders.

”Hello!” the stranger continued on, seemingly unawares of the hostile welcome he was getting.

”I'm looking for a ghost!”

”Who are you?” demanded the man, pointing the sword towards this newcomer.

Another stranger appeared from behind the first one, which was quite a feat indeed, seeing that this one was taller than the first man.

”draugrbani!” he exclaimed, grinning like a serpent and green eyes glinting with mischief. 

 

Some time ago or maybe forwards, somewhere in space.

”Loki!”

”What?”

”Come here, I found us something interesting. There's a ghost involved!”

”so you want us to play ghost stories this time?”

Loki leaned over the Doctor’s shoulders to see the screen and frowned at the circular shapes that he now knew to be amongst one of the very, very rare languages that the all-tongue would not translate. Luckily the Tardis seemed to have forgiven Loki enough that she changed the circles into something that Loki too could read.

One word jumped forward into Loki’s vision from the bunch of text sitting on the screen.

”Asgard?”

”Oh, Oh, yes-well. I just thought that maybe-”

”No it's fine. I'm not mad. It's just. Is it wise? It could be me.”

”What could be you?”

”The ghost. What time period are we talking about. What if it is in the future and it is my tormented spirit seeking vengeance.”

Loki was smiling teasingly when he said all this. He wasn't serious, but that didn't mean that the Doctor wasn't appalled.

”What-No! No, No, No!”

”It could be.” said Loki, aiming for innocent, but ruining the image by not being completely able to wipe the smirk of his face.

”Don't joke like that.” the Doctor huffed and slapped Loki on the arm.

Loki just laughed in return.

What neither of them were saying was how much they enjoyed the security between them that allowed them to banter again, like old friends.

”No. From your point of view, we would be going into past. Not that much, somewhere around king Bor’s reign.”

”No danger of meeting anyone who would know me then. That…that would be agreeable. Yes, I think I'm ready to see Asgard again.”

 

In Asgard, right now.

 

”I'm the Doctor.”

”Doctor what?”

”If you like, and this is Loki.”

 

Loki made some kind of gasping ”oh” noise and unceremoniously pushed the Doctor out of his way to make a dash inside the room. The warrior who had opened the door for them didn't even have the time to raise his sword in the confusion he was in. The Doctor slapped the bewildered aesir on the shoulder and also pushed his way in.

Inside, Loki was making cooing noises that were usually given to cute animal babies, but apparently in Loki’s opinion were also appropriate reaction to the ritualistic circle on the floor and the strategically placed rune stones in it.

”It's ingenious! Look at the way the runes have been put together, so creative. Also, using Fernwood for stabilizing the counteractive runes, so clever!”

”Um-Who might you be?”

”and you made it? How do you get the tehanu and ferthu not destroy each other’s auras in such close proximity?”

”-? Who are you?”

”Ah Sorry about him!” the Doctor stepped forward, hands up, drawing everyone’s attention. ”Loki gets a bit weird sometimes, you know those magical types.” the dDoctor winked at the warrior ”We are from the royal palace, send to investigate your health and safety. Be sure that there isn't any nilly-willy magic being practiced. Loki's my magical consultant. I'm here to consult everything else.”

”Why would the king send-” the warrior started, but was silenced by the psychic paper that the Doctor had thrusted into his face.

”See, legit. You can ask Loki about the layout of the palace if you still feel insecure.”

”The court doesn’t have any male sorcerers.”

”Not when you were there, things change. It's been a while since you were in the capital. Right, Sigvardr Agnison? Commander of the einherjar and a war hero from the war against the dark elves. Known especially for his famous stand on the pass and not known for the way he managed to smuggle his troops into hiding to avoid getting slaughtered in the same pass.”

”What-?”

”And of course Eira Logmardottir, a sorceress, an empath, and brilliant woman!”

”Do you know them?” asked Eira, touching Sigvards arm, almost unknowingly to search some support in a situation that was rapidly snowballing out of control.

”It would seem that they are from the court after all.” Sigvard relented and sheathed his sword.

”Why would the court of Asgard be interested in my comings and goings?”

”Oh you know, moral support and keeping track of the little people. Not that you are little, quite opposite really, no, but Loki, yes Loki is here to just check on the magic, that it is properly....magicy.”

”Doctor. Shut up.” Loki sighed from where he was kneeling on the floor, studying the rune stones. Then, more to himself than for anyone else, he continued muttering; “using mistletoe as an aggressive force- how does that even work?”

The Doctor had the patience to wait exactly thirty seconds just looking at Loki having an supressed fangirling moment, before he got bored and whipped his screwdriver from the folds of the jacket.

”What’s that?” wondered Eira, eyeing the whirring machine with suspicion.

”It's a wand” answered the Doctor, waving the screwdriver in the air. Eira didn't look convinced.

”What is it telling you?” asked Loki, sitting on the floor, legs neatly tucked underneath him, looking for all the world like he wasn't planning on letting anyone to separate him from this beautiful piece of magic for the next time unknown.

”It tells me you haven't been exposed to any life threatening transmundaneneminations.”

Turning around, tucking the screwdriver back to his pocket and raising his arms to his sides, the Doctor exclaimed:

”So, where's the ghost?”

The thunder decided to add a dramatic sound on the background and if anyone would have been looking, they would have seen Loki roll his eyes.

 

There was indeed a power that managed to ply Loki away from the rune stone circle, which was Eira, hesitantly promising to shove the newcomers her prior work on the house.

The four of them walked along the dark hallway, the Doctor holding a candelabra, Loki and Eira holding a small flames on their palms and Sigvard keeping a good grip on his sword.

”I'll have you know that whatever the palace is after, I will have no part on it. I have served the king loyally and without fault in the past and while I remain loyal to the throne, I will not return to the einherjar willingly.”

”Relax, no one is demanding anything from you. We are here just for the ghost, just as you are.”

”and since when has the court cared about some minor curse work in the woodlands?” asked Eira.

”You think this is some minor curse work, please don't lie like that.” Loki answered. ”A sorceress as good as you would have banished some minor curse work a long time ago, instead of starting to experiment with summoning rituals.”

”a male seidrmadr arrives out of nowhere and claims to have ties to the royal family. You expect me to just welcome you with open arms. I am wiser than that.”

”But you are still willing to show me your work. That's incredibly brave. Or desperate.”

”you can tell me about desperation after you have tried summoning this one.”

 

The work that Eira had already done was impressive. One of the smaller rooms had been cleared out and transformed into a working space for Eira. One of the walls was covered in scribbled notes, parchments and scrolls nailed onto it, in hazardous notes. The information wall.

There were two tables, both overwhelmed with magical work and covered with half burned candles. There were books scattered around the room, open on the tables and in neat piles next to the table legs. The scene reminded Loki of his own overnight magical studying sessions and the mess that those had made of his chambers.

”this is all the information we were able to find.” said Sigvard, gesturing to the wall covered in notes.

”Whatever is happening here, it has been going on for a long time. The oldest sagas that we could find from the area talk of the haunting. Old songs talking of the wailing witch. Some say that there is a gateway to Helheim in the hills. Some say that it is the goddess Hel herself screaming. It was Bjorn Halfhand who build this house for himself, but no one has lived in here. Even the builders had to be replaced few times before the house was ready. They kept complaining of the nightly screaming.”

Both Loki and the Doctor were standing now before the wall, letting their eyes roam over the pages of old sagas, letters, official reports and scribbled notes. For the love of norns, stop screaming. Read one of the shaky notes.

There were also drawings mixed in. Some were of the beautifully illustrated kind that moved when you looked at them, the kind that could be found in expensive picture books. Those drawings varied, some showing a spinning, shadowy but beautiful form, some showing the spirit as half rotted monster. These pictures were done as to decorate some saga-books and for that reason probably had nothing to do with what was actually happening in the house.

Much more interesting were the crudely drawn, non-moving pictures gathered across the centuries. They were all similar, suggesting that these were drawings done from memory.

These pictures all showed sketchy image of a womanly shape reaching out for norns know what. The pose was always same.

”Of course there have been countless witches that have tried to banish whatever haunts these hills.” Sigvard continued his story. None of them have made any progress or seem to even agree on what is actually happening in here.

”The posture never changes.” Loki blurted out. ”These drawings, how apart in time were they drawn?”

”Centuries, at least. Some even millenniums.” Eira answered, stepping up to stand besides Loki. The professional curiosity had seemed to weight more than her distrust towards the strangers.

”We of course have noticed the same thing. All the illustrations done by anyone who has actually seen her, they are always the same. I even tried to track the backgrounds of the drawings and the tales told of her appearances. It would seem that she never moves.”

”That doesn't sound like curse-work.”

”No. Curse work is almost always intended towards someone. Besides, I can't imagine spell work that would last as long as this one. We have not been able to pinpoint the time which this phenomenon started. It is like it has always been here.”

”A sorcerer with enough power to create something that lasting could have done something much, much worse. No it doesn’t make any sense.”

”She is not an illusion. I know this. Whatever she is, whoever she is, she is real. This I know. Is she dead, alive, in between, cursed, or something else. I don't know. But she is real. I can feel her. I can-”

”Yes, I know what an empath is.”

”-no, I can feel her right now.”

Now that Eira had drawn their attention to it, Loki could feel something too. Loki didn't doubt that the empath could feel much more than he did, but even then, Loki felt the prickling of his magical sense perk up. It was almost like feeling someone hovering behind him, expect that something was more like an elemental force...no wait there was someone hovering behind him.

That someone was now poking Loki on the shoulder, which identified him as the Doctor.

”Come on!” the Doctor announced, still holding the candelabra on his other hand.

”Where?”

”To find the ghost.”

”Can't you see that we’re working.” Loki said, nodding his head towards Eira.

”No, you are just talking in circles. Let’s go and do some hands-on research.”

”I am doing research.”

”I dare you!”

Loki just raised an eyebrow at the Doctor. The Doctor returned with making a face that made him look like a victim of some kind of a stroke, but Loki was sure that in Doctor’s mind was supposed to look inviting.

”No. It might be a good idea. After all I am sure that a court seidrmadr could make so much more of the situation than what I was able to find out.” Eira gave Loki perfectly innocent look that Loki was very familiar with. Mostly on his own face.

”If you won’t mind.” Loki replied with an innocent smile of his own.

”I would suggest that you start from the feasting hall.”

 

”You actually think that they are from the court?”

”I'm not sure what to think.”

”A male sorcerer in the golden hall. Sure in the villages and the streets, but they are claiming that he works in the palace.”

”Who knows. After the war with the elves, I think we all knew a bit more about seidrcraft than any of us was comfortable with. Even king Bor. And you can't deny the fact that he talks just like one of the palace-crows.”

”What about the other. He is a liar. They both are.”

”I know. But what happened with the dark elves...well I think that at these times everybody in Asgard is a bit of a liar. Also he knew things. Things that were privy only to the inner circle of the war council.”

”are you saying that we should trust them?”

”Oh norns no.”

 

The feasting hall was huge, dark and empty. The Doctor’s candelabra didn't do much for lighting the room. Loki’s flame did a little better job, but was still not enough to illuminate the whole of the hall.

”Do you feel anything?” the Doctor asked of his companion who was absently pacing the room.

”No.”

”Don't lie to me. We're not supposed to lie to each other.”

”Well maybe something. But I can't identify the feeling.”

”like a funny tickly feeling on the back of your head, like you're being watched?”

”A bit like that.”

”because I'm feeling that too.”

”Well, that doesn’t help us at all, unless time lords have some special sense for knowing where the foreboding feelings come from.”

”No, but you know what I just stepped into.”

”A floorboard...?”

”A cold spot.”

Loki perked on where he stood and hurried to the place the Doctor was now standing. There was indeed a noticeable cold spot in the air.

”Something is drawing energy from this spot.”

”but where is it going?”

”I don't know, but I think that it is spreading.”

The cold was starting to creep from that one spot to across the room. Frost was forming on the window panels and cold was turning their breath misty.

The only thing that could suck the warmth out of the air this quickly was...

”We have to go back to Eira!” Loki demanded and started running back where they had come from.

”You think she's doing something?”

Loki didn't answer, just kept on running.

The loud banging noise stopped Loki on his tracks. He didn't mean to stop, it was just that the bangs sent jolts of electricity to run through his body. The noise wasn't coming from the inside of the house. It was loud and clear to the ears, but the magical sense in Loki knew that this noise was coming far, far away. Farer than Loki’s imagination reached.

The noise terrified Loki.

”Okay Doctor, I know that you mean well, but please don't hold my hand.”

”I'm not holding your hand.” answered the doctor from Loki’s left, both of his hands in front of him.

Loki swirled around, jerking both of his hands to his chest and faced-

-faced nothing. There was nothing there.

This time it was the Doctor that tugged Loki back to moving. ”let’s find the others.”

 

”Eira!”

The work room was empty, when the two winded runners threw the door open. The old, yellow papers fluttered very gently in a draft, but neither Eira nor Sigvard were in. Loki made a flying turn on the doorway and continued his dash towards the next logical step, the rune circle that they had seen Eira working when they first came in.

”the rune circle” shouted the Doctor unnecessarily, seeing that Loki was already running in the direction.

They were right, both Eira and sigvard were with the rune circle, Eira inside it and Sigvard next to it. (But still respectable distance away)

Eira and Sigvard weren't alone. When Loki entered the scene, he was almost slammed in the face by the force of seidr he could sense in the air. The reason was obvious. There was a crack in the air, spinning vortex, not truly open, but not closed either, but more like stretched almost to the breaking point.

And then there was the woman, reaching from the other side of the portal, just barely visible, like you would see someone from behind a thin cloth.

And she was screaming. High pitched, inaesir like screams that hurt your ears.

Facing the crackling tear in the universe was Eira, back straight and voice still strong, calling out:

”Let me show you the way home! Let me show you the way home!”

Sigvard was gripping the sword on his hands and standing unmoving, from fear or from restraint, you couldn't be sure.

”Let me show you the way home!” Eira shouted one more time, as the ghostly hand reached closer.

Whatever had been keeping Sigvard frozen, fear or restrain, it wasn't enough to hold him back anymore. Sigvard leaped towards the circle, gripped Eira with his other hand, shoving her back out of the circle and in other hand wielding a sword.

The sword did nothing to the portal or the figure in it, but either because Eira had been interrupted, or maybe just because the portals time was up, it closed without much of a hassle.

Before the portal closed completely, Loki could hear the words: “Help me!” being screamed.

 

 

The mead tasted heavenly to Loki. It wasn't like the rich golden mead served in the royal feasts, but it was undoubtedly asgardian. Loki had never been a big fan of mead like his brother, but right now his taste buds were singing with joy over the familiar taste.

Loki and Eira had relocated themselves into the research room and slammed the door with the excuse that they had to talk of things only privy to sorcerers. At this point those secrets had involved two tankards of mead and a confession that they had no idea what just happened from both of the sorcerers.

”It is a rip between the branches of Yggdrasill. At least some kind, of that I am sure. I have used such secret pathways before.”

”but it doesn’t lead anywhere. If this was bifrost related there should have been something on the other side. I should have been able to see what is on the other side. I thought that it was a rip between the worlds and tried to open it. There was nothing on the other side.”

”There was something. Someone.”

”It felt like drilling a hole into a wall and instead of seeing the other room you see only the void. It doesn’t make any sense.”

”maybe it opens up to some world far beyond the branches of Yggdrasill.”

”maybe it opens to Helheim.”

Both sorcerers sipped on their meads and silently contemplated the fact that maybe they truly were out of their depths here.

”We would need to try to stabilize the rip for study. But then again it seems that it doesn’t want to stay up. It almost fights to stay closed.”

”I would have needed just more time.” Eira muttered, not that much to Loki but more to herself.

”He is a warrior, there is a reason they are not usually permitted into the rituals. Their first instinct is always to hit it with a sword.”

”I know he means well, but how can he expect me to work if he won't trust me to work.”

”You must know why he protects you so.”

”Yes. He loves me. At least he thinks he does. That doesn't make it any easier. He should have gone home and found himself some nice ladylove instead of pining after a witch.”

”You love him back.” it wasn't a question.

”I love my work. I love magic.”

”and you think that you can't have both.”

”How could I. Even now he won't trust me with my own rune circle. If he were called to war once again, he would go. No one would dare to question his duty or his loyalty to the realm. Do you think that he would understand if I were to be called for my work as a witch and had to leave our home for time and time again?”

Loki sipped his mead again and just kind of nodded his head in the yes-I-understand-your-point way.

”anyway. I think my next plan will be to try some scrying to try to understand the nature of whatever there might be waiting on the other side. I guess that is the only available way to gather information that hasn't been exhausted already.”

”Short of time travel I guess it is.” Loki answered and bolted up from his chair. He needed to find the Doctor.

 

The Doctor was sitting on a wooden bench, facing the grim aesir warrior and swirling the mead on his tankard. Disgusting substance, asgardian mead.

The flames crackled on the fireplace and made the coldness of the hall feel even worse in contrast.

”So, how did an esteemed warrior like you end up tailing a witch to the middle of nowhere, hunting restless spirits.

”She needs someone here to protect-”

”no she doesn't. You know that.”

”no. I guess she doesn't. Even if I would like to think so.”

”but why this house. Why all this?”

”We've both been in a war.”

”yes we have.”

”it tends to haunt you doesn't it. When you grow up you hear only the songs. The sagas tell you of glorious battles and brave soldiers never giving up and winning against all odds. That was everything I ever wanted when I was growing up. And then when the war against the dark elves started...I was happy. I was thanked the norns for giving me an opportunity to fulfil my dreams.”

The Doctor snorted. ”It is not quite what asgardian songs make it up to be.”

”we were so young and stupid. All of us. Thinking the elves would run just at the sight of our glorious troops.”

”were you there at the end of the war?”

”yes.”

”there are songs and poems written about king Bor’s absolute victory.”

”yes there are.” Sigvard’s voice was no more than a hoarse whisper. The Doctor eyed the man up and down. This was the price for the glory of the golden realm. Doctor had seen it countless times before. And he knew that under the golden realm’s foundations laid the bones off all the realms that hadn't bowed. Just like the great empire of the dark elves, before Asgard rose to its glory.

”is that why you are so interested of the beyond? What waits on the other side? If you could contact them...”

”They told us that we would all gain a place in Valhalla for our deeds. But at night I lay awake and think of Hel. They told us that it was a noble battle, but in the end...in the end we were murdering children!”

”king Bor’s greatest victory. Destroying the race of the dark elves.”

”It is why I don't go to the capital anymore. Every time I go there, I hear the children playing on the streets. Singing the song: children of the night are gone.

 

”Doctor!”

Both men turned to face the voice on the doorway. Loki was there, bright eyed and almost jumping on the spot. ”Doctor we need to use the Tardis.”

The Doctor rose from the table to join his companion. ”what have you-?” ”-I'll explain on the way, c'mon.”

 


	19. hide part 2

The Tardis whirred in its familiar way as they left, not the place, but the time.

”the first mentions were from the early sagas, so we might want to start looking somewhere around-”

”Loki. You have the greatest time machine in the universe! Think bigger. We can start right at the beginning and go right till the end. The Doctor said waving...something to Loki’s face.

”What’s that?”

”a camera. A 53-century earth camera. It has some alien technology in it which might help us.

”are those vanir runes on its side?”

”maybe. Yes. Don't ask. I will feel guilty if I end up spoiling too much.”

”that was the stupidest excuse I have ever heard, but I am going to let it slide in favour of asking you what is that orange monstrosity you dragged from the insides of the ship.

”It’s my suit of course. Don't you think it brings out my eyes?”

”it makes my eyes hurt. Why do you need a suit?”

”because we are going to the beginning of course!” the Doctor said trying simultaneously to close himself inside the orange monstrosity.

What the Doctor had meant by the beginning, came clear when Loki turned around to look at the screen over the board. It showed a barren landscape, with hot fires and steams erupting from the ground. Loki could also see the glittering ice masses on the distance.

”and so the world was born when ice and fire made love...” Loki whispered to himself, quoting one of the old poems.

The Doctor had opened the door and penguin-walked outside. Loki had to wonder what kind of cameras they made in the future that they were functional even on a weather like that.

Loki risked a peek outside the door. The Tardis force field should keep him safe.

It was wild, it was chaotic, and it was pure natural forces. It was beautiful.

The Doctor staggered back in and pushed Loki back too on his way. ”No! No! No! Don't even think about it!”

Their next stop was on a time when Loki could also come out of the Tardis. The world was covered in ice, true, but luckily Loki had his natural form to fall back into. He caught a glimpse of something huge, hairy and white before the Doctor dragged him back in.

By the next stop, the ice had melted and the land was covered in massive pine trees, bigger than anything Loki could have imagined a tree to be. Insects the size of your arm buzzed on the air. Overhead they could see a huge shape flying on the sky. When the flying lizard opened its mouth to breathe fire, Loki laughed. He had just seen a living dragon.

Their next stop was during the debated dark ages. The sunlight was blocked by some kind of force field or magic on the sky. There was a village of dark elves just a stone throw away where the Tardis landed.

On the next stop the sun shone again and the land scape started to look like the asgardian land that Loki knew. Also they had landed on the middle of an army camp, but apart from dodging the arrows, it was interesting to see the multiracial army that was camped on asgard’s soil. Which was the war where both aesir, dwarves and jotnar had fought side by side and why no one in Lokis time remembered it?

The next drop told them nothing of the time they were in, expect that the nature around them was undisrupted and peaceful.

The next landscape was undoubtedly of the future, seeing that they were now inside a gleaming city with high towers and interestingly enough citizens that seemed to be talking to a cell phone of a kind.

Next stop, the Doctor forbade Loki from coming out. Even the screen showed nothing of the outside world. Loki caught a glimpse of an chained aesir clawing n grey concrete wall before the Tardis door slammed shut.

The image of the chained aesir haunted Loki even when the next stop he saw perfectly happy aesir children playing on the same spot and being looked after by an alien that Loki couldn't identify.

Their last stop was again into a conditions that did not allow for Loki to come outside. So he watched the barren landscape on a screen. The ground was grey, maybe in ashes, maybe because of something else, Loki wasn't sure. The sun was pale and there were no signs of life of any kind to be seen.

The end of asgard. This is what it will look like. The death of the golden realm.

”you look thoughtful.”

Loki turned his head to see the doctor standing beside him, in the horrible orange suit, camera in hand. (How well made were they?)

”I'm seeing the famous fields of ragnarok. I'm allowed to look thoughtful.”

”So you have stories of ragnarok too?”

”Wait. Who else have stories of ragnarok. It is the main part of our biggest religion.”

”never mind, what do the stories tell?”

”that when asgard has reached its dusk the norns will cut the thread and the ragnarok will fall, the goddess Hel will raise the dead and together with Lodur the god of fire and chaos they will raise monsters from the deep and burn the world.”

”Oh, okay”

”What stories have you heard?”

”oh, boring ones. Humans have some stories, probably moved from your people to them, don't look them up, horribly dull they are.”

”did it happen?”

”What?”

”ragnarok.”

”well, that really depends on how you want to look at the situation, the sun has burned the ground inhabitable-”

”The early scholars say that the religion on the dark ages revolved around the sun god and the moon goddess. Later those beliefs evolved into the negative fear of the god and goddess of death and destruction, Hel and Lodur.”

”it is a complicated universe. Don't try to understand it too much, you will get headache.”

”from your point of view we must all look so small and silly. With our gods and fears.”

”do you think that time lords had no superstitions or religions or fears. We prayed like all the other races. Many people think that the more evolved the race, the more reliable knowledge they possess. I have found out that in truth I know nothing more about the truth of the universe than the people who are still trying to figure out how to make fire. I think the universe protects its secrets against us all.”

 

Eira and Sigvard stared at the hologram picture hanging in the air. The picture was of a young woman, with tan skin and black hair smiling at the camera in white protective clothing.

”This” the Doctor introduced with flourish, ”Is Bergdis Kolidottir. Citizen of the united realms, aesir with vanir relatives on the father’s side and a witch working for the institute. Born on Queen Hilda Thrúddottirs reign.”

”I have never heard of-” started Sigvard, but he was silenced by the Doctor. ”Of course not. She comes from the future.”

”Impossible.” stated Eira. Her voice was matter of fact.

”I thought so too, before I fell from the bifröst and met a time lord.” Eira stared at Loki, eyes hard and searching. Loki stared back.

”A time lord! You are mad!” the Doctor pouted at Sigvard, but Eira silenced the warrior with a scathing look and a wave of her hand. Loki held back the smile. She was a formidable witch and even if the warriors would wave everything they couldn't stick their swords into away as nonsense, Eira would know better. She was a witch, a seeker of mysteries.

She was also very clever as the next thing she did was to look at the Doctor. ”A time lord you say?”

”yes. I have seen the world beyond Yggdrasill and it is greater than we could have ever imagined.”

”And what might a time lord and its....companion want from us?”

Sigvard was gripping his sword again. But he did look hesitant. Clearly the stories of time lords had left an impression even on the warrior when he had been little. He had moved now between Eira and the Doctor. The Doctor was pouting again. ”You are both either mad, or liars.”

”Yes, both actually, but also a time lord and a companion. Also confused. Or we were, not so confused any more. You see, we came down here just as baffled as anyone else. Also curious. A mysterious haunting. Unexplained phenomenon. I don't like unexplained phenomena’s. Unless I am the unexplained phenomenon of course. That happens surprisingly often. Anyway-”

”you are rambling.” Loki cut in.

”Yes, sorry. We came here the exact same reason as you did. We were curious. Then Loki wanted to do some background searching and luckily, we have a box that can travel through time. So, I decided to do very thorough background search and took a picture of the place where the ghost manifest thorough the history. Every few million years. Overlapping those images, we found this.

The Doctor pressed another button on his fancy, future rune-camera and a second image popped up. This was of the same woman than in the first picture, but this time running through misty forest a look of terror on her face, hand outstretched.

”She is not a ghost, but she is a lost soul.” the Doctor said in his dramatic voice.

Before he could be interrupted again, the Doctor continued.

”Everyone has thought that she is trapped in a moment, in this place. What if she is not? What if she is trapped somewhere else entirely, somewhere where time just runs more slowly. Somewhere where one second to her would be thousands of years to us. Which is why she is always there. She was there when Asgard was just forming and she will still be there when it will start falling apart. Which is why she is always on the pictures, never moving.

”But where could a world like that be?” asked Eira, her brains already working on the problem.

”a pocket universe.” The Doctor answered, fishing two balloons from his pockets and filling them both. ”our universe.” the Doctor said, waving the red balloon. ”her universe” the doctor waved the blue balloon. ”I have encountered pocket universes before. They are distorted images of our own, never lasting long, more like echoes.”

”like the Tardis can make.”

”A bit, but the echoes in Tardis can last, the universe can't make its echoes that stable.”

”You think that the Tardis is better than the universe?”

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders sheepishly and grinned. Loki smiled back.

”but how does somebody end in a pocket universe?” asked Eira.

”Well, you see, Bergdis is quite known figure in history, well future, she was, will be, a pioneer. A sorceress of great power and theories. She was the first one to figure out time-travel using seidrcraft.”

”impossible!” Sigvard bellowed. ”only the norns can work the threads of time.”

”both of the magic users in the room looked at each other. Even Loki was dumbfounded. Time travel was impossible. Well not impossible, but impossible for anyone that is not a time lord. Would it really be possible to time travel using seidr?

”But I'm afraid that she wasn't the first one to get the theory to actually to work. Her first try ended up in her disappearance.”

”that's where she disappeared. In a pocket universe.”

”yes Eira. That's where she ended up. As a ghost screaming through the history.

”Through the whole history. By the norns...” Eira breathed. She had seemed to just realise what kind of time span the Doctor was talking about.

”Well from our perspective. From her perspective she crash landed three minutes ago. And the pocket universe she landed in will from her point of view collapse in another three minutes.”

”is there nothing to be done to help her.” Sigvard said in sombre tone. He was no witch and he hadn't understood half of the things that had been said, but he had understood that there was a woman trapped and in a need of help.

”yes, well...”

”I assume that the Tardis can't reach this pocket universe, seeing that you haven't already rushed in.” Loki stated. ”No. The Tardis could get in all right, but the world is on the brink of a collapse, the entropy would bleed the Tardis dry and then we would all be trapped.

”we don't need to go in, we just need to guide her out.” Eira mused. ”I have already successfully contacted her through my summoning’s. But all those times I had no idea who or where she was. Now we have that advance.”

”Opening a door to there. The magic needed for maintaining that kind of energy...”

”Hold! Hold! Are you two planning-?”

”Doctor. Time lord technology can't help us now. Maybe some old fashioned asgardian sorcery will.”

Doctor looked Loki over and then smiled thoughtfully. ”Maybe. Maybe it will.”

 

Loki and Eira settled brainstorming. Spell books and grimoires were laying on the table of the dining hall and all of Eira’s previous research had been leafed through.

”But why is the link so strong when you call her. All these witches that have tried to contact her and only you have been able to actually-”

”Ah. That.” the Doctor flung himself on a seat next to Loki. He had been dropping on and off the conversation and was now dropping back in.

”Bergdis comes from an old line of witches and wizards. It is entirely possible that-”

”blood. Of course. She is of my blood. That is why I felt the call to here. Blood calls to blood. At first I thought that it might be some ancestor of mine that had been connected to this place. But I am the ancestor.”

”yes.”

”Why didn't you tell us before, blood magic gives us a whole lot of new possibilities.”

The Doctor backed away with an apologetic shrug before joining Sigvard well away from the madness that the two were setting up. There were rune stones being thrown around.

The Doctor and Sigvard shared a look.

 

 ”Aaargh!” Loki stormed past the Doctor.

”Whoa! Hey” the Doctor gripped a tail end of Loki’s coat before the jotun could storm past. ”I take it that the progress is not well, progressing.”

Loki slumped down in defeat. ”actually it is. That's the problem.”

The Doctor quirked hi almost non-existent eyebrow to Loki.

”We do have theory. In all fairness a working theory. I have been able to work with the cracks on bifrost since long ago. This is not so different. And Eira has great knowledge and skill in working blood magic. In theory there should be a way to guide a crack between the branches to open so that we would be able to reach for Bergdis.”

”but?”

”but in reality, neither of us have the power to make the theory work and even if one would were to try to amplify their powers, the stability-”

”Well, why didn't you say so. That is a problem we can work with. Now, tell me exactly what kind of mythical miracle you might need and I'll make a milk run with the Tardis.”

 

Loki looked at the...thing on his feet. They were going to actually activate it. Technically it could have still been called rune circle, but Loki was very loath to do so. In his experience, rune circles were neat and well planned tools to protect and channel the magician’s power. This thing was what happened to rune circles when they went through existential crisis.

There was a circle and there were rune stones. Actually there were several overlaying circles, the second and third being suspended in the air by some impressive structure works and duct tape. The birch branches had been enchanted and then double enchanted. There was a piece of toaster in the witch bag.

This was experimental-experimental magic. If any self-respecting/sane sorcerer were to see this, they would have advised against ever trying to activate it.

But Loki had done stupider things, so instead he propped the blue alien crystal, provided by the Doctor, in place. (Held in place by zip ties) The crystal hummed under his fingers.

Both Eira and Loki had decided on clear roles on this ritual. Eira would be the guide. She would be the presence guiding the power to Bergdis while Loki would concentrate in making and keeping the portal open. Then they would also need someone to actually reach into the portal.

”I'll do it.”

The Doctor looked at Sigvard in alarm. ”No. I will go. You can't-”

”and why not Doctor. I am one of the einherjar. A warrior of Asgard. A hero who protects the realm and all its inhabitants. That's what we were told. I would like to do my duty.”

”but it's dangerous, what if the timelines-”

”If I disappeared from history now, it will have no consequences. Eira is the one who has to survive. Eiras blood and legacy will live on. I would like to help one of them to live a bit longer.”

Eira stared at Sigvard. The warriors jaw was set and he was buckling his sword to his hip. There would be no stopping Sigvard now.

The Doctor came to same conclusion and gave up. ”fine. Fine, but be careful. We have no idea what might await you on the other side.”

Sigvard smiled grimly. ”neither did I know the last time.” he picked up the rope and started quickening it around himself.

 

Loki cast a last glance around the people surrounding him before he started chanting. Everyone was on their places. Eira on the middle of the circle, needing the focus to help her mind travel through the Yggdrasill. Sigvard was waiting near the circle, eyes hard and feet steady. The Doctor was standing next to the lever of the rope, looking worried. Served him right, to not always be the one that leaps into danger. Loki took a deep breath on his place on the inside edge of the circle. Then he started chanting.

The rune verses were familiar on his tongue. The rhythm the notes, the vibrations that would bend the universe. After few verses, his voice was joined by Eiras own lilting song. Loki had to close his eyes so that he could concentrate properly. He could already see the swirling portal starting to form, but if he would concentrate in the portal that he could see with his eyes, he would not be concentrating on the real portal. The one he had to keep open. So he closed his eyes and did his best to close other senses too. He didn't hear Sigvard entering the portal, but he did feel it. It was a straining pain of someone pushing their way through the portal that was filled with Loki’s essence. Loki couldn't scream, for he was still singing the runes, but his voice became high pitched vail for a moment.

Time lost meaning to Loki. It might have been just minutes or maybe days that Loki sang, letting his own being mix with that of the world around him.

There was the ripping again, this time something coming through from the other side. This time the pain was even worse. The world around Loki spun and rippled and somewhere Loki could hear Eira scream. Loki lost grip of the runes and then he fell. All the way back to his own consciousness and the drawback was hard enough to knock Loki straight into unconsciousness.

 

”Loki! Loki!”

”mmhhmm”

”oh thank Rassilon you're awake. You gave me a quite a scare. Loki?”

”-Doctor....?”

”yes.”

Loki blinked sluggishly. The world was still spinning, but the second blink brought the world into some kind of focus. There was the face of the Doctor, peering down at him in an obvious worry. Loki tried to get up, but found that all his limbs had decided to go on a strike.

”Easy.” the doctor put hand on his shoulders and pulled Loki into somewhat sitting position. Now he could see the two other shapes on the floor. The other was Eira, still knocked out cold. Loki braced himself with his other hand on the floor and waved the Doctor to go check on Eira. The other, now already moving shape had to be Bergdis. The same tan skin and black hair, as in the picture, now looked around in confusion. ”I...What, the man. Where's the-”

”Sigvard!”

Eira had gained lucidness much quicker than Loki. Loki would have felt jealous if it wasn't for the clear panic that the other witch was showing. ”Where is Sigvard?!”

”I'm sorry, he didn't have time to make it-”

”No! I will not leave him, I will not leave him there-”

Eira was already scrambling back to her feet, stumbling down, but quickly getting up again. ”I can't! I love him! Not with that thing-!”

”What thing?” asked the Doctor, supporting Eira’s weight on his hands. ”the monster. I saw it on the other side. I saw glimpses of the otherworld, of the misty forest that is and isn't and I saw the monster stalking in the shadows.”

 

Sigvard was alone. Sigvard had many times been alone, but never had he truly felt this alone. The misty forest air felt cold to his skin and the worst was the silence. Forests were not quiet, Sigvard knew this by experience. But this was not a forest, not truly, and therefore it made sense for it to be quiet. No wind, no animals. Just the silence. Expect for that one thing. The occasional crunch that reminded Sigvard that just because he felt alone, didn't mean that he was. Because he knew that he wasn't alone. It was also there somewhere. The monster that had chased him and Bergdis.

Sigvard drew his sword from its sheath and waited. The weight was familiar on his hands. This was what he had been born to do. He might have been alone and without no hope of ever seeing Asgard again, but he could still make the gods proud. He was a warrior of Asgard and he would hunt and slay the monster before the blackness took him too.

Sigvard’s grip tightened. The crunching came closer and closer, until finally the monster stood in front of him. Ugly twisted creature, with spidery legs and black empty eyes. Sigvard had never seen more horrifying creature in his life.

But Sigvard didn't raise his sword. What would have been the point? He had always done what was expected of the great assgardian warrior. He had fought valiantly in Svartalheim and always obeyed the king. He had fought with no fear. But what was the point. What was the point now? In just few minutes both of them would be dead. He could slay the monster for the joy and honour, but Sigvard was tired of slaying. He had slayed more elves than he would ever be able to count. He felt no honour for those deeds.

Sigvard let his sword drop on to the cold grass. He felt peaceful. The monster could kill him now. Sigvard had been the monster enough times to know what it would be like.

”Hey!” called the voice from the mist.

 

”We have to open the portal again!” it seemed that sheer bull-headed determination had given Eira the strength of a ten aesir as she was already standing on her own. ”we have to do it!” Loki agreed. He whole heartedly agreed to Eira’s pain and fear, but he was also still nauseous and barely able to focus his eyes. Loki tried to not let it show. Eira needed him.

”I'll help.” came a woman’s voice next to him. Someone was steadying him. It was Bergdis, whose dark eyes spoke of determination also. ”I will lend you my power. After all, three has always been the godly number for witchcraft.”

Bergdis, Eira and Loki shared looks amongst themselves and gripped hands, creating a circle of their own, a circle of flesh and blood, the strongest circle there was. ”But first. I will have to ask him a favour.” Bergdis said looking at the Doctor, who was already tying the rope around himself. ”what?”

”the creature she saw on the other side. Don't hurt it. I do not believe it to be a monster. At first I feared it, but now I can remember. I was falling, falling through space and time and I was going to die. I know that. I could feel my atoms starting to scatter and soon I would have dissolved into the void. But I wasn't, something gripped me and pulled me away from the void. I do not know how, or why. But I do believe that the creature caught me and guided us into the universe we landed.”

”Of course! Of course!” the Doctor yelled. ”I see now.” Loki didn't have time to ask what the Doctor had understood, because they had to start singing again.

 

”I understand! It's okay!” yelled the voice in the mist, that Sigvard could now recognise belonging to the Doctor.

”It's not a ghost story. It's an adventure story!” the man came running between the trees, grinning manically.

”the classic one. You saw her in trouble and you saved her. You saw her falling and you leaped and saved her. You didn’t care how dangerous it was, you acted.”

The Doctor was panting between his breaths and was leaning on the side of the twisted monster, looking not concerned in the least. Sigvard gaped. ”No time.” the Doctor said and passed the rope to Sigvard. ”we need to leave.” ”but what about-?” ”No time.” the Doctor turned around. ”Eira! Little help! Loki! Bergdiss!”

The air around them twisted and something magical gripped hold of their navels.

 

The Doctor had offered to make tea for Loki. Loki had declined. Right now he needed good strong asgardian mead. Luckily they had that a lot, so it didn't take that long for Loki to hunt himself a pint.

”how can you even drink this stuff, it is foul.” the Doctor complained next to him.

”you just have no taste.”

”it is foul”

There was a companionable silence in which both of them watched as the other four tried to get their bearings. Bergdis and the- well and her saviour were talking. Now that Loki had gotten used to the sight of the creature, it didn't look so dangerous anymore. Its black eyes were following bergdis's every move like bergdis was the most curious thing it had ever seen. Bergdis hands twitched like she wanted to touch the grey gnarly skin but was holding himself back.

Sigvard and Eira were, well apparently they were walking into their direction. They were holding hands.

Loki raised his pint in a salute for the pair of asgardians when they stopped in front of him.

”congratulations.” the Doctor said, pointing at the pairs intervened hands. ”you finally realised what to do. Now just don't let go.”

”I don't intend to.” Eira answered. ”I already lost him once. I will never let him go again.”

”was that a promise or a threat.” Sigvard said, smiling at his witch. Eira didn't answer, just smiled back.

”Sooo...what now?” Loki asked, giving Eira pointed look. She knew what he was really asking.

”Now we will start searching for some work for Eira that will hopefully not involve as much insanity as this one.” answered Sigvard. ”but then again with Bergdis with us, I have no doubts that we can now work even the most insane cases.”

”they are quite adorable together.” Eira mused as she watched her future grand grand grand something granddaughter converse with her new friend. The others looked at the pair for a moment and then nodded in agreement. ”you are going to have interesting times explaining that to the local farmers.”

”well, a famous witch is known for her mysteries, they will tell stories of me and my drag along family in every pub and tavern soon.” Loki snorted in amusement. He could hear the smugness on Eira’s voice. ”I have no doubts on that.”

 

”is he...is he happy? You as an empath should-”

”is that why you wanted to talk me before you left. Is that why you wanted to meet me in the first place?”

”maybe. But would you tell me. Is Loki happy? He has been through so much and I fear-”

”yes.”

”I fear-wait yes.”

”yes. He is happy. Of course underneath it all he has many burdens, but all in all, right now, he is as happy as someone with those kind of burdens can be.”

”thank you.”


	20. The Crimson Horror part 1

There was a house in Victorian London. On the outside it was like any other house, but those that were in the known, knew that inside that house lived a greatest detective of England.

The detective had mysterious reputation. Many came to seek help from the detective but only few were allowed it. It was few who even got to see inside of this unassuming house.

Right now a carriage was stopping in front of it. The carriage driver had heard stories and rumours of this particular house and the detective that was rumoured to live inside. Most of all, you heard the rumours of the kind of people that went in the house.

”we are here madam.” the driver announced to his customer. A lone woman who had pressed a note and few coins into his hands and told him to hurry. In the note had been written an address. The woman had not answered any of his gentle questions regarding to her business in that house.

Now the woman jumped off the carriage, thanking the driver hastily. The driver topped his cap to the woman, her long black hair starting to unravel from the tight knot it had been tied on, green dress dirty on the hems and her steps purposeful.

The driver hoped that a lady that beautiful would not be in any kind of trouble.

The lady in question pounded on the door. She was finally here and there was no time to waste. The Doctor had given her clear instructions and even if she didn't like to feel helpless in any situation, she could see the wisdom in trusting the Doctor in this situation. The door was opened by a young woman in a servants clothes. Simple black dress and a white apron. She had clever brown eyes.

”How may I help you.”

”The Doctor needs your help.”

Her eyes grew big when the Doctor was mentioned. ”Please come in. You must tell us everything.”

The black haired woman stepped inside. She moved a bit clumsily, like she wasn't used to moving in the expensive looking green gown. From the looks of it, the gown had gone through a lot.

”why is there an unconscious man lying on the floor?”

”I hope that if you know the Doctor you won't be prone to much fainting now would you?”

 

Madam Vastra eyed the newcomer. A young woman who was now sitting on the same place that unfortunately faint hearted Mr. Thursday had been sitting before. Strex had cleared Mr. Thursday away and placed him into an empty room to wait for awakening. The new woman had fortunately taken Strex dragging the unconscious man away from the lizard woman and the housemaid much calmer. It was a good sign.

”and who might you be and what is your connection to the Doctor?”

”my name is Loki.” the lady said. Her green eyes staring straight into Vastra’s own. ”I have been travelling with the Doctor as his companion.” ah, that explained the nonchalance.

”We were visiting earth again when, well. I'll try to keep it short.”

 

”so how about taking a spin to see Earth again.”

”you are obsessed with that planet you know.”

”what? No I'm not. And we just spend a week in Kardonasiaa. Maybe we should check Earth again.”

”you seem to believe that if you don't check on that planet regularly it will implode in on itself.”

”well you never know...”

”then again seeing our track record with that planet, it doesn’t really sound that implausible. First the chitauri, then the martian...”

”yes it is weird isn't it. Out of all the planets in the universe and poor Earth just can't catch a break.”

”All right fine. We'll go and check your pet planet again.”

 

The worping sound echoed on the stone walls of the smoky background alley in Yorkshire. No one was there to see the two men jump out of the blue box, dressed in Victorian clothes.

”So we are in...?”

”London. No not London, we missed. Yorkshire. Victorian Yorkshire.”

”do you think anyone will try to take over or destroy the planet while we're here. It seems to happen when we are in town.”

”well it's not my fault that trouble seems to follow me.”

”Hmmh. Honestly, I think it might be the Tardis who is always getting us into trouble.” Loki whispered smiling.

”oy. She might hear you.” the Doctor whispered back. Loki just punched him in the arm good naturedly (the Doctor winced) and jogged ahead. He was curious and ready for a new adventure.

His springing steps halted when a scream echoed in the distance. Both men shared a glance and started sprinting in the direction of the scream.

 

”It's another one! Another victim! Why won't any of you listen?!”

The young man making a ruckus was being forcibly detained when Loki and the Doctor arrived at the scene. In the murky waters below you could see a floating dead body.

”We'll listen!” Called the voice of the Doctor to the young shouting man. The other people leaning over the edge of the bridge looked at the two newcomers with distrust, but you could see hope swimming in the eyes of the frantic man, who was now shaking his detainees off of his shoulders.

 

”Mrs Winifred Gillyflower. An astonishing woman, a prize winning chemist and mechanical engineer. So why-”

”why would she decide to open a mat factory in her old hometown?” the Doctor finished the sentence for Edmund. ”and nobody who goes to live there ever seems to come out.” Edmund continued with a grave look on his face.

 

The woman’s skin was bright red and glowing faintly. She was stiff as a log, unseeing eyes staring ahead, only her hair not frozen stiff. She had been laid on a wooden table, with a dirty sheet covering her. She was dead.

Loki had never seen anything like it in his whole life.

”they keep turning up in the canal” the undertaker spoke. From his sensationalist voice, Loki could guess that this was not a first time some curious souls had wandered in, wanting to see the bodies. Loki would have liked to feel indicated at such behaviour, haven't he been gawking at a dead body himself.

”the crimson horror they call it.” the undertaker mock whispered.

”Oooh. Crimson horror. Good name.”

Loki glared at the Doctor. The Doctor saw Loki’s face and looked sheepish.

”Now I just wonder what it really is.” the Doctor muttered and bend to see the dead woman’s eyes closer.

”Did you know that there is an old gypsy superstition of the eye of the dead person holding the image of the last thing it sees.”

”I´ve heard that victims of basilisks suffer from it.”

”that's an old superstition. Well recent for you. It's going to be disproved in few millennia. Anyway, for the body to hold the image reflected in the eye, its chemical components would need to be massively corrupted.”

Loki swiped his glove alongside the woman’s stiff neck. A trail of red slime followed his fingers.

 

”Wow. This is nasty.” the Doctors words did not match with his grin as he handled the bubbling glass vials. Loki had no idea why the Doctor seemed to enjoy playing with an old timey chemistry set so much, but he did. Loki had declined the offer to join the Doctor in his experiments, on the grounds that he was hardly a scientist.

Instead he had sneaked one sample of the slime and done some tests on the grounds that he was well practiced in. Magic.

There were humans on the room, so he kept his magic a secret, hiding the red glow beneath his palms. The slime didn't feel magical. Loki couldn't feel neither the sharp elemental magic nor the slimy feel of curses. Loki couldn't feel anything magical at all. The sample did not react to any of his magical prodding in any useful way. It reacted the same way any other poisonous non magical slime would react, which was not much.

”an organic poison. And you think that this is connected to Sweetville? ” the Doctor asked of Edmund. Loki resisted the urge to smirk. Anyone could see that it was poison. The Doctor didn't have any more information than Loki did and was now changing subjects.

”I do.” answered Edmund, who was eyeing the Doctor with hope.

”Well then we need a plan.”

The Doctor turned to look at Loki.

”I think we need to visit this Sweetville then.”

”You can't.”

”We're braver than we look.” Loki rebutted Edmund’s protest.

”No, they won't let you visit. Only those who move in are let through the gates. And Miss. Gillyflower is very picky who she lets to move in. Young healthy couples are what she prefers.”

”Well then.” Loki smirked. Oh this was going to be fun. The Doctor hadn't even seen this trick before. ”what?” oh this was going to be fun indeed.

 

”You know, out of all the skills I would have guessed you to have, hair dressing would not have been one of them.”

”You'd be surprised at all the things I have picked up during the years.”

”hmmh.” Loki watched her new reflection in the mirror. It had been a long time since Loki had used her female form, but it still felt comfortable. Like slipping on some old but familiar clothes. The Doctor was currently taming her hair into proper Victorian fashion. The Tardis had gifted her with a green, time period dress. It was stiff and nothing like Loki had been used to, but she would make do.

”besides, most of my companions through the years have been ladies. This isn't the first time I have to help with the hairdressing.”

Loki snorted. “You could open a salon on the side.”

”I did once. Didn't end well. Actually ended very badly. Actually that's why I was banished from Kerdishi. Actually I don't even want to talk about it.”

”Loki snorted again. ”Any mannerisms I should remember for this hoax to work?”

 

Before they stepped into the line in front of the Sweetville’s entrance, the Doctor grabbed Loki’s elbow and pulled her aside. ”If we get separated. If anything goes wrong-”

”I can handle it.”

”-If anything at all happens. Here is where you can find help.” the Doctor pressed a piece of paper into Loki’s palm. There are friends in there. You can trust them.”

”I'm not going to leave you alone in any situation.”

”Just for precaution. Because if the situation comes to it, I want you to run.”

”I know. Doctor I know that you will want me to run. Don't worry, between the two of us, you are the reckless one.”

”Oy!”

The room was packed full of anxious people. Loki and the Doctor took seats on the benches near the front, but not near enough to draw attention to themselves. All around them people whispered to each other, all sharing the same curiosity.

Mrs Gillyflower was a formidable looking woman. An old woman, but one who bore herself with dignity and pride. Loki had no doubt that if this woman put her mind into it, she could easily accomplish something like creating an entirely new poison that would terrorise the whole nation.

She stepped in front of the crowd with practiced ease.

When she started talking, Loki could hear the power in her voice. She preached of wroth and ruin of mankind and people listened. When she described the coming apocalypse, people in the church could see it with their eyes. When she told them that they were sinful and doomed, they believed.

This woman was not just formidable, this woman was dangerous.

”The filth of humanity can ruin even the most delicate of lives, believe me I know.”

There Mrs. Gillyflower paused for a dramatic effect. Loki straightened up, what was to come was sure to be important.

Pulling on a rope Mrs. Gillyflower let the curtains fall around the preaching booth in front of the audience.

Inside was young woman, sitting on a stool, her back turned to the audience.

”My own daughter. Blinded by my husband in his drunken rage.”

The woman slowly turned around so that the audience might see her disfigured face. Littered with scars and the milky white blind eyes. The people in the audience gasped and oohed. Loki bit her teeth together. Mrs. Gillyflower was parading her own daughter for a shock value.

Mrs. Gillyflower continued waxing poetics of her daughter’s horrible fate and how she would forevermore remain lacking.

”That is just wrong.” Loki whispered into the Doctor’s ear.

”yes it is. This whole gathering is wrong.” the Doctor whispered back, while Mrs. Gillyflower warned the people to protect themselves against similar fate by forever preserving themselves against the coming apocalypse.

”she's not lacking.” Loki whispered, to nobody in particular.

 

”Doctor and Mrs. Smith.” greeted Mrs. Gillyflower. ”Oh yes. You will do very nicely. Very nicely indeed.”

Loki hid all her thoughts behind her smile. It was a smile that amongst the ladies of the asgardian court was known as the court smile.

”grand. Smashing. The missus and I couldn't be more chuffed could've love.”

Loki amped her smile up a bit more. While the Doctor wound his arm over her shoulders.

 

On the inside Sweetville was just as innocent looking as on the outside. The greenery was well kept and the little houses neat and tidy on their little rows. Almost little bit too neat and tidy. There were no signs of living in here.

”Sweetville will provide you with everything you need. You don't have to worry a thing from now on.”

”The name?” Loki asked, concentrating on keeping the accent steady. ”Sweetville. Why not name it after yourself, after all it is your creation.”

”Gillyflower town Eh!” the doctor joined in. ”Gillyflower-land you could have roller coasters-”

”Sweetville is named in the honour of my partner.” Mrs. Gillyflower cut out the Doctor’s ramblings.

”Your late partner?” Loki asked again. The Doctor’s ramblings might have come on as annoying, but actually worked well on Loki’s favour. People usually think that ramblers never listen to what is being said. Especially the wives of the ramblers.

”No. My silent partner. Mr. Sweet likes to keep to himself.” Mrs. Gillyflower answered, looking for some reason smug. She wasn't even trying. Which meant that she did not believe that her secrets were in any danger. Which meant that she and the Doctor most probably were in danger.

”and who lives here?” the Doctor asked, pointing at the one of the identical brick houses.

”oh, names don't matter here.” Mrs. Gillyflower laughed and opened the door.

Inside the house there was a perfect little home. Like a puppet home with all of its parts neatly laid in place, from furniture to household items. Most importantly, in the middle there were placed the tenants. A man and a woman, both smiling from their places, the other sitting on a plush armchair and the other standing next to it, both unmoving. Like dolls inside their glass dome.

Right, this was the moment where it was time to abort mission. They now knew why the people never came out of Sweetville. It was time to make sure that at least she and the Doctor would break the mould.

Mrs. Gillyflower was still smiling at them like a benevolent old grandmother, while a group of armed men strode towards them.

Loki had no knives on her, but they were on Midgard. She was confidant against only a dozen or so midgardians.

Loki dropped into battle stance.

 

”Okay.” the Doctor was breathing heavily and leaning into the alley wall. ”We might need that help I told you about.”

”you didn't exactly tell me about that help.” Loki countered, not wheezing, but irritably fiddling with the corset. Or more correctly speaking ripping it apart with her bare hands. One of the bones was already broken and stabbing her in the ribs. The whole thing could just go.

”Yes, well. We definitely won't have any change at subtlety anymore so, help.”

”You could at least thank me for saving yours skin back there.”

”are the guards going to be okay?”

”I just saved you from becoming a living doll!”

”but are they?”

”I didn't kill anyone. Even if this corset makes me want to kill somebody.” Loki underlined her words by finally ripping the corset and its broken bones off and throwing them vigorously into a nearby puddle.

”So those friends of yours. Why exactly you think that we will need them.”

”they are the best known detective pair that this century, or maybe even this millennia has seen.”

”alright, I see your point. Do we take the Tardis?”

”No, I have already told you, I don't like risking her by taking her into battles. We don't yet know what or who might be hiding behind the factory doors. Anyway, listen...”

 

”the Doctor said that he wouldn't get into any trouble?” Madam Vastra raised her non-existent eyebrow to Loki. ”you left him alone into the heart of mystery and believed when he said that he wouldn't get into any trouble?”

”oh shut up. I thought he would stick to ground research along the main area. That was our agreement.”

”I guess we must hurry then. He's probably in a dire need of our help by now.”

 

The carriage hobbled along the cobble stones with its four travellers tightly fitted in.

”we still do not know what is actually holding all the strings in Sweetville. I suggest the easiest way to infiltrate will be during the recruits. But according to the knowledge we already have, you two must make sure that you will break off of the group before you end up in a glass jar also.”

Madam Vastra gave a stare at the pair ready to infiltrate Sweetville. ”You can trust me to handle it. You know it.” Jenny reassured her wife. Loki, who had switched back to his default (aesir) gender nodded in what he hoped was also reassuring way. After all madam Vastra was sending her wife with Loki. Loki held no illusions what would happen if he were to return without Jenny.

” Madam, are we really going to send these two weak and fleshy humans to our mission.”

”I am not-”

”Human! I am-”

”silence! All three. Yes Strax. We are and don't insult them. We have talked about this.”

”in that case I would suggest-”

Strax and madam Vastra bickered some more about what weapons to bring and what not. Loki found them both to be fascinating subjects to observe. They both belonged to races that Loki had never heard of before. And to believe that they so flawlessly lived in Midgard amongst the humans, unseen and unnoticed.

”You'll get used to it.” Jenny whispered into his ear.

 

The enrolling line was long and the air hot, just like last time. Loki thanked the norns that he didn't have to wear the corset this time. He felt pity towards all the ladies in the line who were laced in in this heat.

The factory noises were ever-present, even over the chattering of the people in the line.

One of those chattering people on the line was a lone woman named Abigail who latched onto Jenny’s side, nervously prattling on about her wonky teeth and how she hoped she wouldn't be disqualified because of them.

Loki saw a door few feet away where they were standing. He nudged Jenny’s shoulder and discretely nodded towards the door. Jenny caught the message and nodded back. Now they just needed to somehow slip away-”Do me a favour would you?” Jenny hissed to the chattering Abigail.

”Favour, what-?”

”faint.”

”what?”

”have vapours. Start swooning, cause a scene.”

”why would I-”

”I’ll give you a guinea.”

”done.”

Jenny winked to Loki and dragged him away from the rush of people who started to swarm around the supposedly fainted woman.

Nobody noticed as the pair sidled next to the door and nobody paid any attention to the tiny sparks of magic that danced around the door lock, before the pair disappeared from the hallway.

 

There was a factory hall on the other side of the room. What there wasn't were any kind of factory machines that you would expect to find in a factory. In fact there didn’t seem to be anything at all in the hall, with the expectation of three huge gramophones that played the sounds a working factory is supposed to make, to the people on the other side of the wall.

”I have never been in a factory before, but I would guess this is not one.”

”you don’t have factories at all where you come from?”

”No.”

”we'll you're right. This is not a factory at all it would seem. Then again, if they put people in glass cases you could guess as much. Not really anyone to work in, is there then?”

”Expect the guards. We have to be careful, the impression I got was that this place is swarming with them.”

”business as usual then.”

 

Meanwhile Madam Vastra was staring at the red, bottled, liquid slime with horror, inside the mortuary.

With horror caused by something you thought you put behind you 65 million years ago that has come back to haunt you.

 

Loki and Jenny stared at the red slime floating in a container big enough to drown dozens of men.

”it looks the same as the slime we found sticking onto the victim.”

”I guess this is what they use to make them into those dolls that you saw in your first time 'round. You think maybe the ones ending up in the canal are somehow failed.”

”I wouldn't exactly use the word successful to describe the dolls inside the houses either.”

”'spose not. I still don't understand why though. It doesn’t make any sense.”

”On that we agree. I guess we must continue forwards.”

Loki heard the voice before Jenny. The faint banging echoing on the walls.

”Wait.” he gripped Jenny’s arm.

 

Following the voice led them further down and to what Loki would have described as prison cells. With bolted iron doors with little flaps to push a bowl in. There was something, or someone inside that wanted out.

”Do you want to get out?” Jenny asked rather unnecessarily of the closed door. More banging could be heard inside.

”okay. Me and my friend here can open the door for you but we have to come to an agreement first.”

Loki curiously dropped to the floor and opened the little flap on the door.

”If you try any funny business-”

”there is no need Jenny.”

”what?”

”it's the Doctor.” Loki rose back to sit on the floor.

 

The Doctor they found inside was almost stiff as a plank, unable to speak and had glowing red skin. Loki’s heart dropped at the sight. Had they been too late?

Then Loki’s rational mind took over. The doctor was still alive, groaning and trying to reach for them. ”Goodness! Doctor!” Jenny reached to support the Doctor. Loki did the same on the other side of the time lord. Together they half marched half carried him away from his cell.

The Doctor seemed to have some kind of an idea what he wanted when he reached for one of the steaming modules littering the hallway.

 

The door of the module banged open and the Doctor sprung out like an over enthusiast jack-in-the-box.

”Just when you think your favourite lock picking Victorian chambermaid and your alien sorcerer companion never turn up! Oh I could kiss you both!

”And I could kill you right now! But sometimes we just have to reign in our impulses!” Loki raged. ”you promised to be careful and under no circumstances come to any direct contact with this place!”

”yes well funny story-”

Loki punched him in the face.

”aaaah! Feels. Feels like feeling. Oh I love feeling my skin. Ouch ouch ouch, no wait no I don't I take it back-”

”quiet you both!” Jenny snapped. ”you're gonna wake the dead at this rate!”

”You could have died and ended up floating in the canal. How did you even survive?”

”Probably my alien anatomy. The venom was produced for humans.”

”that's even worse. Your time lord genes could have made the venom work even worse for you!”

”Stop bickering! We need to get out. Our agreement was, that if we have not returned by nightfall, madam and Strax will come looking for us. And that is going to be messy. I mean, it is strax!”

”Good point. We need to leave.”

Leaving silently an unnoticed was a good plan in theory, but in action they had a problem. Several problems actually. Several very good looking problems wielding wooden clubs.

”oh great. The attack of the supermodels.”

”Not again.” Loki muttered. ”stand back and we won't harm you!”

”You really think that that will work?” Jenny whispered to Loki.

”No. But it will keep the Doctor happy.”

”okay gang. Um. Well maybe I'll just leave this to you then.”

Loki disarmed the nearest guard with a swift kick to the solar plexus. The one behind him went down with an elbow. Next to him Loki saw jenny take down big heavy man with a quick practical moves. She was a great warrior, Loki had to give her that.

”You're skills in combat are admirable.”

”Thank you. You're not half bad yourself.”

Loki laughed. He knew that as a prince of Asgard he should be offended. Jenny was just a mortal woman after all. Loki found himself to be delighted.

The last guard still standing, took a look at both Loki and Jenny staring at him with predatory glint in their eyes and took off running in the opposite direction.

”Well that's a shame.”

They could hear screaming from where the guard had ran. Soon footsteps could be heard coming from the corridor towards them.

Madam Vastra’s impressive form came striding through the door, dragging the now unconscious guard form the scruff of his neck. Disappointed looking Strax came shuffling along.

”It seems that we were not needed after all my love.”

”well I did miss you darling.”

Jenny and Vastra shared loving smiles with each other.

”I suggest that we proceed from now on with full frontal assault.”

”are you sure that his race is not somehow related to aesirs?”

”are you mocking the sontarans or the aesirs?”

”why do you think I'm mocking anyone. It was a serious enquiry.”

The Doctor just punched Loki’s arm.

”Strax. Go wait us in the carriage. We will manage from here.”

Strax looked at Vastra like a sulky teenager being sent to their room, but obeyed anyway. Vastra turned to the rest of the group. ”I know what the poison is.”

 


	21. The Crimson Horror part 2

Madam Vastra explained while they walked. It wasn't on their favour to stay on one place for too long, now that the whole factory must have been on lookout for intruders.

”I come from a race that once ruled this planet, long before humanity.” Loki nodded at the lizard woman. ”how I got here is a long story that must wait when we have more time. Rest aside, I still remember my life 65 million years ago on this same planet. Just like humanity now, we also had to battle against nature, disasters and plagues. The worst of all was the deadly red leech. A disease with no cure. Infections could wipe away entire cities in days.”

”and you think the crimson horror is same thing?”

”I know it is. I have seen it before. It is a small parasite that would infect our drinking water, polluting it with deadly venom.”

”and maybe since then it has been lurking in the shadows. Evolving. Or maybe it even had help.” the Doctor pondered.

”and now Mrs. Gillyflower has it. But why?” Jenny asked.

”think. What does Mrs. Gillyflower always preach about? What does she want? An apocalypse. Her entire life work revolves around the coming apocalypse. Now she could be just a religious nut-job, or she could be playing on people’s fears, but neither of those things really fit her character. We know her to be exceedingly intelligent woman. She has a background in science community and was not known to be religious at all by her peers. On the other hand, she is not making money on Sweetville. The people do not have to pay to gain access.

Which leaves us with the third option. That she is getting ready for the apocalypse she knows is coming. Which she probably is planning to cause herself. With an unknown virus, it is not only a delusion.”

”I told you. The greatest detective of the land.” the Doctor whispered to Loki.

”also, the chimney doesn’t blow any smoke, so I would suggest that we move into that direction.”

Jenny, Loki and the Doctor followed the lizard woman’s lead.

 

”they have a rocket.” the Doctor stated the obvious. Loki didn't even snark back, as he was too busy gaping at the big metal machine hidden under the chimneys. It was a rocket. What confused Loki was that he was almost positive that this time period should not have rockets.

”there's the poison.” Madam Vastra pointed from their hiding place. She was right. Two neatly dresses guards were carrying a huge glass vial full of red liquid. It was clear what their intention was.

”they are going to blow the poison into the air and pollute the whole air of Yorkshire.”

”It won't stop on Yorkshire, Doctor. The humans have no idea how to fight the poison. Even we never found a way to fight it. If it starts spreading...”

”we can't let that happen. Right gang. I have a plan.”

 

Loki hurried alongside the Doctor. They were trusting Vastra and Jenny to succeed in their part of the plan, but hopefully if he and the Doctor could succeed on their own, they could stop this madness before it got any further. Now they just had to find Mrs. Gillyflower.

”Do you hear that?” Loki asked. There was a voice coming ahead. A small whimpering voice. Loki’s first impression was an animal in pain.

It wasn't an animal. It was Ada. Mrs. Gillyflower’s young, blind daughter, silently crying.

”Ada.” the Doctor called gently.

Ada stopped crying and instead alarm rose to her face. ”Who is it!”

The Doctor kneeled down in front of sitting Ada, guiding her hands to his face. At first you could read confusion on Ada’s face, which soon turned into misbelief and then joy. ”You!” her voice cried out. ”my monster!” monster seemed like a last word anyone would use as an endearment, but that was exactly how Ada used it. ”you've come back!” the tears were again not far from Ada’s voice.

”But you're all-”

”warm.” the Doctor supplied. ”She saved me from being dumped into the canal.” the Doctor started explaining, seeing Loki’s confused face. ”I was dumped into a pile with other rejects, but Ada found me. She felt that I was not yet dead and took me away from the bodies. She kept me hidden and fed and took care of me when I was too stiff to take care of myself.”

”So she's the one who locked you in that cell!”

”No. She saved me. Without her I would have drowned in the canal. She saved my life.”

”your life would have not needed saving if you had stuck to the plan and not-”

”yes, yes, yes. If we could-”

”Who is that!” fear had taken over Ada’s voice again and it struck Loki. This was a blind, scared girl and he was scaring her.

”I'm a friend. A friend of his. And I thank you for saving his life. I owe you a debt for that.”

Ada seemed confused at Loki’s words. Like thankfulness and respect were entirely foreign concepts to her. ”you are lucky. It is not good to be alone and you do not owe me anything. Not to someone like me.”

”Hey. Ada. What are you talking about.” the Doctor made soothing noises as Ada seemed to be on a verge of crying again.

”She does not want me monster. I am not to be chosen. It is the blackness in my heart. My sins-”

”Now! Ada, you do not believe that. That is nonsense. Nonsense.”

Now Loki understood. She didn't use the word monster as an endearment. She used it in hope of finding someone like herself. Ada believed herself too to be a monster. A monster that her mother had rejected and thrown away now that she no longer had use for her.

”Ada. Listen to me. From monster to monster. She is wrong. She. Is. Wrong. There is nothing wrong with you. You have been terribly wronged and hurt. It is all right to be angry. Scared. It will go away. It will not taint you, or make you any less if you feel. Don't despair. We are here for you.”

”Loki is right Ada. There is nothing wrong with you. Your mother does not get to decide who of us are worthy and who aren't.”

Loki felt like something huge had been taken off his shoulders. Seeing Ada, despairing beautiful Ada made him realise that everything he had said to her had been true. True, Ada had supported her mother while she was planning a mass destruction and acted in a way that could have seen maybe selfish and only on her own interests, but she had also been wronged so much more. She was what her mother had made her to be, but still strong enough to defy her mother and save the Doctor. It was amazing. Admirable even. Loki tried to imagine himself as a young boy, defying Odin for the sake of some stranger. He couldn't imagine it.

Loki also tried to imagine what his relationship to his father would have looked like from the point of view of some outsider. Had he looked as pitiful and desperate as Ada, trying till the bitter end to scrape some scraps of parental affection?

”Ada. Who is Mr. Sweet.” the Doctor gently asked the young woman.

”No. No dear monster. Even now, I still cannot. I cannot betray my mama.”

”Ada. Think of how many times she has betrayed you. You do not owe her you're loyalty if you have never gained any loyalty from her yourself.” Loki tried to persuade her.

”No. No she is still my mama. She kept me even when I lost my eyes. She has loved me even though I am sinful and dark child.”

”No! Ada-”

”Doctor. It’s of no use.”

”All right. Come with us then, will you at least take us to your mama?”

”I...yes. I can do that.”

Ada rose to her feet, grabbed her cane and started to lead them through the snaking hallways.

”poor girl. She deserved better.” Loki whispered, low enough that Ada wouldn't hear.

”Yes she does. And I’m afraid that it might get even worse.”

”Please don't tell me that she is adopted from another species.”

“No, not that at least.”

 

Mrs. Gillyflower greeted them alarmingly cheerfully. So cheerfully that she must have either been mad or very sure of her upper hand. Probably both.

”ohoho. You seem to turn up like a bad penny young man.”

”Force of habit.”

”and you my dear boy. Have I seen you somewhere before. You look awfully familiar. You have to pardon old woman’s poor memory.”

”No, I think your memory is fine. It is just that last time you saw me, I was wearing rather smashing green dress.”

”Oh yes. I thought it to be impossible, but I do see the resemblance. Such disgusting perversion from such a handsome young man. It is a shame. Or are you truly a woman in man’s shape.”

”Does it matter to you that much?”

”Oh no matter. I am in an exceedingly gracious mood. I will even look past your witchcraft. Can I offer you something? Tea? Seed cakes?”

”No thank you. I wouldn't want to ruin your food with my perverse witchcraft.”

”All right. Pleasantries aside. You're nuts, I'm the Doctor. This is Loki, my shape shifting companion, and we are going to stop you from releasing a deadly poison in the Yorkshire air.”

”I'm afraid Mr Sweet and I cannot allow that.”

”So where is this Mr. Sweet then. Your silent partner seems to stay very silent.”

”Mr. Sweet is always with us.”

”You two seem to have a pretty close relationship.”

”almost symbiotic you might say.” Mrs. Gillyflower stated while at the same time ripping the front part off her dress open, showing the red leech like creature sticking to her skin. The creature had big bulbous black eyes and two claw like front appendages. Its round eel-like mouth was firmly stuck in Mrs. Gillyflower’s skin.

”Is that-”

”he is a survivor. I found him on the canal. Growing fat on the filth that humanity pumps into there. The perfect partner. His needs are very simple, all he needs is nutrition and in return he provides me with his poison.” Loki looked with morbid fascination as Mrs. Gillyflower nonchalantly fed the parasite with little pieces of food from the table.

”why would you do that. There is no reason for you to start a war against your own race!”

”Please Mrs. Gillyflower. On the wrong hands that venom could wipe out all of humanity. Please won't you consider-?

”do you know what these are?” Mr. Gillyflower laughed, showing her hands. ”the wrong hands” she giggled and Loki knew then that she was beyond any reason. Madness had taken her.

”I will wipe out all of humanity and only my chosen ones, my perfect subjects will survive. When all of it is over we will step into a new age. Humanity’s new golden dawn-”

”your daughter.”

”what?” Mrs. Gillyflower looked annoyed that the Doctor had had the nerve to interrupt her monologue.

”tell us about your daughter. You do still remember her. Ada. Ada that you said had gained her scars from your late husband, but whose scarring has a curiously neat and symmetrical pattern to it.”

”You speak of such trivia when my hour of-”

”If I didn't know better, I would say that someone would have used her as an experiment to some kind of chemical testing.”

Loki felt the ice-like rage settle in his belly again. ”No! You wouldn't have dared. She is your daughter, please tell me that even you-”

”sacrifices have to be made.”

”Sacrifices!”

”Silence you she-male. You devil’s spawn wouldn't understand. The wicked had to be sacrificed for the greater good. I had to find out the antitoxin and that girl was already full of darkness-”

”You used her! She was your daughter and you used her as nothing more than something that you can lock away and then bring up again when you have need for her! You! You utter monster! No you are something much worse!”

”mama.” Ada’s faint voice cut through Loki’s loud yelling like a knife.

”mama please tell me it is not true.” her voice was quivering with despair. This was her last lifeline.

Mrs. Gillyflower said nothing. It seemed that to her Ada had now become something that didn't even deserve lies.

Ada seemed to deflate and become small. Like a wounded animal she curled into herself. ”No, no, no” she kept whimpering like a mantra. Loki was already taking a step towards Ada, standing on the doorway, ready to protect the poor girl. Ada however did not need strong pair of arms to hold her. Her whimpers didn't last for long before they gave way to an uncontrollable rage. From wounded animal Ada turned into a raging lion.

”You Hag! You harpy! All these years that I have served you! Helped you! Looked after you! Was it all for nothing! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!!!”

Ada lifted her cane in the air and swung it down to her mother who looked like sky had just turned green. Meek pitiful Ada had turned into an uncontainable firestorm

Loki could have intervened, but he stayed rooted to his feet. There was something too satisfying in Ada’s rage that kept him from intervening.

The Doctor had no such hold backs and he went, arms flailing, between the two women, trying to keep them from killing each other.

A blinking light snatched Loki’s attention from the corner of his eye. The control board was blinking in an ominous way. Had Mrs. Gillyflower activated the rocket before him and the Doctor had entered? Remembering Mrs. Gillyflowers cheerfulness form before, Loki decided that it was better to be safe than sorry and called his jotun form on. Thrusting an ice spear deep inside the machine seemed to do the trick as the machine died and started steaming. Also, Mrs. Gillyflowers panicked ”No!” when she realised what had happened assured Loki that it had been the right move.

What neither Loki, nor the Doctor had expected was for Mrs. Gillyflower to have a handgun hidden inside her dress.

”Nobody move or I will shoot Ada!”  She yelled, pressing the gun on her daughter’s temple.

The doctor grabbed Loki’s arm, holding him still. ”all right. Let’s all just stay calm-”

”and you can stay calm right here, while me and Ada take our leave. If you'll excuse us.” with that Mrs. Gillyflower dragged Ada with her and locked Loki and the Doctor in.

The Doctor tightened his hold on Loki’s arm. ”if we go right after them, she will shoot Ada.”

”I hate her!” Loki stated. ”I know. Do you think you could get us out of the window?” The Doctor calmly answered.

Loki rushed to the window, broke the glass with his elbow and looked down. They were in a tower and the drop was long to the hard cement. ”Of course.”

”Okay good, I’m going to trust-”

Loki snatched the time lord up like he weighted nothing and jumped down.

The Doctor screamed the entire way down. He only stopped screaming when both of them hit the stones, Loki protecting the more fragile time lord body with his sturdier own. The ground under them cracked with the impact.

”ooofh.”

”you...have...no...reason...to...complain.”

”sorry.”

Loki picked himself up from the floor and on the way also picked the Doctor up, placing him on his own feet again.

”Let’s go then.”

 

The guards that surrounded the chimneys had no change against the jotun with asgardian battle training that prowled through them like a steamroller with a vengeance.

When the Doctor jogged through the clear path left behind his companion, he felt the compulsion to repeat “Sorry, sorry” to the crying and groaning humans that had been left lying on the floor.

”let Ada go!” Loki shouted when they finally reached the chimney hall and seeing Mrs. Gillyflower drag her daughter behind her.

”It would seem that I and Mr. Sweet were too smart for you after all!” she manically shouted back. The Doctor came to a wheezing halt behind his companion. ”yes, yes. You were too smart for us. Just let your daughter go!”

Mrs. Gillyflower continued like she hadn't even heard them. ”secondary firing system Doctor. Did you think that I wouldn't have a backup.” she kept gleefully explaining while dragging petrified Ada up the steps with her.

”Don't worry Ada. Just stay calm.” Loki called out. Right now their top priority was getting Ada safe.

Loki’s words seemed to have the opposite effect to Ada, who instead of staying calm, started to fight against her mother’s hold. Kicking back she managed to loosen her mother’s grip some, and break free, stumbling down the steps. Both Loki and the Doctor rushed to break her fall. Loki reached the blind woman first. Steadying her, before she would break her neck.

Now all three of them were looking up on Mrs. Gillyflower’s gunpoint.

”Shoot me if you wish mama! It won't matter! You have killed me a long time ago!” Loki saw the danger approaching and threw himself in front of Ada.

There was a loud bang and Loki could feel pain on his shoulder blade. He was however a jotun sorceress, made to last the cruel nature of jotunheim. Midgardian weapons were no threat to him, not in this century.

”Do not let go of the end of the spear Ada.” Loki whispered to the shaking woman.

Only the Doctor was faced so that he could see Mrs. Gillyflower pull down the lever controlling the rocket.

”Now! My hour has come! The doom of humanity-”

”guess again!” called the bright voice of Jenny from the other side of the hall.

Mrs. Gillyflower turned to see Madam Vastra and Jenny holding the vial of red liquid between them, smiling most pleasantly. ”Did you think that we had no backup plan.” Madam Vastra smiled as she spoke.

”very well then. If I can't take the world with me, you will have to do. Die! Die!”

Mrs. Gillyflower started waving the gun around, seemingly not sure where to start on her eagerness.

”put down your weapon, human female.” called the voice of Strax from the upper end of the chimney.

The bullet that Mrs. Gillyflower let loose missed Strax. The retaliation laser blast by Strax shot few inches away from Mrs. Gillyflower’s body, but did melt the safety railing that Mrs. Gillyflower had been leaning on. Mrs. Gillyflower did not survive the fall with same grace as Loki had. There was a nasty splattering sound involved.

 

Mrs. Gillyflower’s breathe rattled in a way that Loki knew that she had minutes, probably seconds before that breath would cease. Ada had walked to stand above her dying mother. A survivor. Loki found that instead of satisfaction, he felt only sadness. Maybe that was the thing that came with death. It killed even the passion of hate.

”Will....you forgive....me?” Mrs. Gillyflower rasped. Struggling to find the air for talking.

”never.” Ada answered. Calmly. Like a queen looking down on her subjects. ”that's....my girl.” Mrs Gillyflower breathed out, dying with a smile on her face.

Loki looked at Ada. Had she grown stronger? Had she found her strength and worth? Loki was not sure, watching the strong woman standing over her dead mother. It might have been ridiculous, but for a moment Loki feared the young woman with a sliver of ice in her heart. Mrs. Gillyflower’s most frightful creation.

”What are you going to do with that thing?” Loki asked the Doctor, pointing at the parasite, trying to distract himself from his thoughts.

”probably take it back to Jurassic era out of the harm’s way.”

Ada’s cane hit the floor with a bang. Green intestines splattered around the floor. Ada’s white cane came down again and again, hitting the small parasite even when there was nothing more than a splatter left.

”Or then, well, umm....” all four of them stared at the mess left on the floor with mixed feelings.

”are you leaving right away, or would like to stay for tea. At least this time?”

”well, I think we should go, after all there are-”

”we would love to stay. After all, I still haven't heard the story of how you ended up living 65 million years in the future.”

”Of course. We would also be very interested to know how you ended up with the Doctor.”

Loki threw a smirk in the Doctor’s direction who just good naturedly lifted his (non-existent) eyebrow.

”You should also come, Ada!”

”Someone has to be here when the police officers arrive.”

Loki saw Ada standing there alone. Ready to take the world and prove herself. Proud, strong, broken Ada. ”No. I really think you should come. I'm sure you don't want to be alone right now. The police can wait and wonder.”

Ada hesitated. ”please.” Loki asked and Ada sighted. Her shoulders slumped a little. ”If you insist.”

 

The slightly adrenaline filled tea break turned to be surprisingly pleasant, seeing that just hours ago they were all almost died. Madam Vastra, Jenny and the Doctor gave a very interesting and entertaining version of the story how madam Vastra had found her way under the London streets, full of vengeance, but ended up finding a wife instead.

Somewhere along the way Loki insisted on taking the whole gang to a pub to get something stronger to drink. Ada protested, as did the Doctor. But when both Jenny and Loki teamed up, the whole gang found themselves drinking in the most secure booth and unnerving everyone else in the bar. By the time Strax had gotten involved herself in a bar fight, all of them were laughing while dragging the hot blooded sontaran away from the fight.

When the Loki and the Doctor finally took their leave, Loki pulled Jenny aside for a quick word.

”Keep an eye out for her.”

”Don't worry. We will keep in contact with her.”

”No. You don't understand. She is in danger. I know this. There is so much pain in her and it won't go away in one night. It probably will never go away. Look after her. So she won't do something she might regret later. So she won't become too hard.”

”Don't worry. We will look after her.”

”Thank you.”

”Now take care of the Doctor for us. And remember to have fun.” Jenny rose on tip toes to kiss Loki’s cheek.

”I'm with the Doctor. Of course I will have fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that is currently what I had already written about a year ago. From now on, the story is on an indefinite hiatus. I'm being a realistic, so don't keep your hopes up for any new chapters. I'm not saying that the story is dead, but I'm not saying it's alive either.


End file.
